Insane in the Mainframe
by Pyrovile
Summary: A computer game is causing mutations in players on a genetic level, giving them superpowers. When various murders occur in unusual cicumstances, Torchwood is sent to investigate. Post series 2. J/I G/R
1. Ctrl Alt Del

Disclaimer: - I don't own Torchwood (copyright of BBC). I also don't own the computer application that this is based on (Copyright of Facebook).

**Torchwood – Insane in the Mainframe**

**Prologue – Ctrl, Alt, Del**

Welcome to Superpower Inc. The ultimate fight of good versus evil.

Please Type in Password and Access Code.

Lewis typed in the codes that he had been given when he applied to the application in the first place. It seemed too good to be true. He had always been a techno geek and RPGs were his life. Now he had found a game that suited his desire to live as an entirely different person. Superpower Inc had been around for six months and had taken the internet by storm. There was unlimited access, no danger of the server crashing and it came with free antiviral software as well. For a one off payment of £5, it was an incredible bargain.

The game was simple enough. You started with one superpower and you'd battle other people all over the world to gain more superpowers and experience. You also had an alliance with good (under the guidance of the Sol), evil (under the tyranny of the Necrolai) or an interesting group known as the Renegades (fighting for the revival of something called the Mainframe). The Renegades could go ever way, depending on the powers the players used. Each power was designated good, evil or neutral, and constant use would influence the nature of the character.

Lewis eagerly clicked the start icon on the screen to start his new adventure.

Password accepted

Access Granted

Type codename and wait for status update

Lewis followed the instructions and waited for a few minutes with anticipation. At this point, a high pitched whine emanated from his laptop. Lewis looked at his monitor with slight confusion, but dismissed it as nothing to worry about. He took another look at the screen. His information had been processed.

Status Updated

Codename: - FlameThrower

Alliance: - Renegade

Initial Power: - Pyromancy – The ability to conjure and manipulate fire.

Power Type: - Evil

Thank you for pledging your alliance to the Mainframe. You may now begin your quest.

Lewis placed his hands on the metal surface of his laptop. An action that he would later regret. He suddenly yelped in pain as an electric shock course through his body. It wasn't enough to hurt him, but it definitely took him by surprise. He quickly withdrew his hands.

"_What the hell was that about?"_ he thought to himself. He turned back to the screen. Everything seemed to be normal. He tentatively touched the laptop with his finger, half expecting another shock.

Nothing happened.

The shock behind him, Lewis went on to customise his character. He was amazed at the level of detail that the programmers had gone into for this game. In the end, he settled for a body design like his own and a black robe with a flame motif. He was happy with the result and instantly delved into the adventures and quests the virtual world had to offer.

--

"_Master!"_

_**010101101 What is your function here? 0101010101**_

"_Another Renegade has been born."_

_**011010100 Excellent! 1010101 Details? 01010101010**_

"_His name is Lewis Adams, a student in the Cardiff area. The programming worked without any problems."_

_**0101011010 And his abilities? 0110101011**_

"_He started off with pyromancy but has also gained flight, phasing and for some strange reason, rapid hair growth."_

_**01010101 An interesting potential recruit 01001011**_

"_Master, do mind if I ask why you put powers like hair growth in to the program?"_

_**01010101 Subject query, access granted. 010101 Unusual powers create the subterfuge of an innocent game. 010101101 **_

"_No one would discover your plan master. This is a class 5 planet. Its technology is primitive."_

_**01101101 Subject query, confirmed. 0101100 It also has a population of six billion potential soldiers to mould to perfection. 010101011 However the Sol or the Necrolai would take precautionary measures if they knew of this. 01010101 The Shadow Proclamation would decommission me. 01101011 See File : Adiposian First Family. Subject closed.0110**_

"_Thank you master. Awaiting instructions regarding FlameThrower._

_**01101010 Subject query, confirmed. 01010101 Metagenic program in place. Activate signal to induce pseudo genetic activation.**_

"_Yes Master!"_

_**--**_

Lewis groggily awoke the next day. He felt like crap. Actually that was an understatement. He felt beyond crap. His head was pounding, his hands hurt and he couldn't see anything properly. It was like a hangover, if said hangover involved charging headfirst into an elephant.

Lewis' eyes started to acclimatise to early light outside. He shielded his eyes from the rising sun. Suddenly the realisation dawned.

Rising sun?

He knew for a fact that he couldn't see the sun from the window in his flat. As he groped around, he was beginning to realise that something was wrong. It seemed to come in stages. The sense of fear that started to grip his throat, the internal denial and the slow acceptance that he wasn't in his flat. As a matter of fact, he wasn't even in a building.

He was in an alleyway.

Now fully acclimatised to the light, Lewis looked at his hands to identify the source of the pain. The result shocked him more than the electric surge he got last night. His hands were burnt. Practically scorched. What the hell had he been doing last night? He could remember playing Superpower Inc. and going to bed but nothing else. The rest of the night just seemed like a dream. A very blurred daydream. However, Lewis got the final fright when he looked down at what he was wearing.

It was his costume from the game

Right down to the flame motif.

Stricken by a sense of panic, Lewis grabbed a lid from the nearest bin in the alley.

It melted in his hands.

Looking at the mass of molten metal forming by his robes, Lewis glanced quickly at a discarded tray in the bin and instantly regretted the decision. At the side of his neck was a small tattoo in the shape of a flickering flame. That wasn't the disturbing part. What was more disturbing was his eyes.

His dull grey eyes.

Well, that's the prologue finished. Please R & R. Cue Torchwood theme music. __


	2. QWERTY

Thanks to Helen Pattskyn for my first ever review (yay!). Here's the next chapter. Hope I don't disappoint.

Disclaimer : I don't own Torchwood!

Chapter 1 – QWERTY

"_I don't think I can go on. Not after this."_

"_Yes we can. We all can...The end is where we start from."_

That had been two weeks ago. The three surviving members of Torchwood three gazing at the screen wondering what was going to happen. They had lost two vital members of their team. Toshiko Sato and Owen Harper. One was in the depths of the morgue, oblivious to the world around her. The other was just a pile of radioactive dust.

"_It's time like this when I think immortality is a total bitch! Seeing everyone I care about die when all I can do is watch."_

Jerking back to reality, Captain Jack Harkness gazed at the paperwork strewn about his office. Numerous potential recruits. It had to be done, but it just didn't feel right. He tried not to think of it as replacing them. He was just being realistic. They were short of a computer expert and a medic. He was hoping that UNIT would allow Martha to temporarily help out again but apparently, she had been called out to Utah. Something to do with Geocomtex. As a result, they needed help. They were barely surviving on assistance from freelance operatives.

Luckily, the rift had relatively calmed down, so there wasn't too much danger to worry about.

"_Sir!" _Ianto's voice brought him back to attention. _"We have trouble!"_

So much for peace. Jack did what always did best. He flashed a smile at Ianto and tried to make a joke out it. God knows he needed the morale booster.

"_You've run out of coffee?"_

Ianto smirked. The closest thing to smile in a fortnight. _"Yeah, but that not important at the moment."_

"_Yan, how can you say something like that?"_ Jack replied incredulously. "_Torchwood without coffee is like the Lone Ranger without Tonto. They just go together."_

"_There will always be more coffee sir, at the moment we've picked up reports of a murder around Crwys road. Apparently died under unusual circumstances."_

"_Unusual?" _This would have to be good otherwise Ianto wouldn't have brought it up.

"_The body had been incinerated, no traces of gas, no petrol, nothing. Not really an everyday occurrence."_

"_Spontaneous combustion?"_

"_Could be. Gwen has just gone to get the SUV."_

"_Okay Yan, I'll be there in ten."_

_--_

Alleyway, Crwys Road, 12:17pm

"_Okay, we'll take it from here. Call your group back."_ Jack announced to the police officer.

"_Bloody Torchwood!" _

Jack watched as the disgruntled officer went to recall the others. He was beginning to think that they might as well start advertising. Torchwood was rapidly becoming the worst kept secret in the whole of Wales. For the third time that day, he was snapped back to reality when Ianto patted him the shoulder. Catching up with him and Gwen, they walked into the makeshift tent concealing the corpse.

"_Oh God!"_ Gwen exclaimed, almost gagging. _"I haven't seen anything this burnt since one of Rhys' drunken fry- ups." _

The corpse was an absolute mess. It was just a mass of cracked, black flesh, hanging off scorched bones. What intrigued the trio was the expression of the corpse. The facial features were contorted into a look of pure terror.

Jack looked over to Gwen who had clasped a portable scanner to the body and was waiting for the results.

"_So who are we dealing with Gwen?"_

Gwen peered at the scanner. _"It's still extrapolating a DNA sample."_ Seeing the bemused expression on the two men's faces, she gave a slight giggle. "_Sometimes a little technobabble is good for the soul_," she explained remembering Jack saying something along those lines when she had started.

The machine emitted a bleeping noise, indicating that the sample had been scanned. Gwen quickly ran the sample across the British database. The results were instantaneous.

Name – Ben Ketteridge

D.O.B – 17/6/82

Nationality – Welsh

Injuries sustained – Multiple fifth and sixth degree burns. Major internal displacement. Severe mental trauma and multiple lesions.

Gwen was amazed with the results. The journey up to crwys road had mainly consisted of the trio wondering what may have caused this murder. She relayed the results to Jack and Ianto, instantly disproving Jack's spontaneous combustion theory. Whatever had happened was definitely not natural, but with the lack of rift activity, it was difficult to determine just what was behind this.

"_So what we're dealing with is either purely human or something that came through the rift ages ago…" _Jack was cut off by Ianto outside.

"_Gwen! Sir! You might want to take a look at this."_

Ianto was crouched a few yards away from the tent by a group of bins. When the others joined him, he gestured towards a large grey misshapen lump.

"_What is it?"_ asked Gwen.

"_It seems to be the remnants of the bin lid,"_ Ianto replied.

"_I think we can eliminate the first option,"_ decided Jack. _"Besides, it's highly unlikely that anyone would fail to notice a lunatic wielding a flamethrower."_

"_Well, nobody's perfect," _quipped Gwen.

--

Back at the hub, things were just getting more and more confusing. The corpse had been placed on a gurney in the autopsy room so the team could run further tests. Jack thought that there had to be some alien involvement. The organ displacement was what had piqued his interest. Nothing human could have done that. He walked over to one of the computer consoles and logged on. As he waited, he was greeted by Ianto with a cup of coffee. He squeezed Ianto's hand affectionately and thanked him.

"_What are you doing Jack?_" he asked.

"_Accessing the CCTV camera. We should be able to see something."_

The monitor displayed the CCTV footage from the previous night. It showed Ben Ketteridge walking down the street, turning into the alley way. If only he had known that these would be the last few moments of his life. He walked down the alley and suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.

"_There! Look in the corner of the screen." _Jack exclaimed, pointing at the monitor.

A figure had appeared out of nowhere in the alleyway. Tentacle like appendages shot from the back of its head and secured Ben, preventing his escape.The figure approached him with an outstretched palm, engulfing the poor man in flames. Jack and Ianto were lost for words.

"_Hey you two, what are you…" _Gwen trailed off as she noticed the footage on the screen.

The figure was now standing. Gazing at the charred corpse. Suddenly its head jerked at an unusual angle in the direction of the CCTV. The figure phased directly in front of the camera. It was a man dressed in rather ridiculous robes and a flame tattoo on his neck. The most disturbing feature of this person however, was probably the dull unresponsive grey eyes. The figure's hand moved in the direction of the camera. Suddenly, the footage ended. The CCTV had been terminated, but the camera hadn't been destroyed. No sound of broken glass or dented metal. All that remained was a guttural voice uttering a single word.

"Mainframe."

That's another chapter done. Please R&R. Thanx.


	3. URL Error

Hello again! Here's chapter 3 of Insane in the Mainframe.

PygmyCritter: Thank you for your review. This story had been playing in the back of my mind since the end of series 2. I just needed the right inspiration.

Disclaimer: - I don't own Torchwood.

Chapter 2 – URL error.

"_So what we're dealing with is a reject from the X- men… Jack? Jack!"_

Jack jerked his head away from the monitor and turned to face Gwen. The look on her face was a mixture of shock and disbelief. The things he had seen were not impossible. Unlikely, but by no means impossible. He shrugged and got up from his seat.

"_Gwen, we had a good view of the face of that thing from the CCTV, run a check on the computer and see if whatever it is has any matches on the database. Ianto, check all surveillance systems within the past few months. There may be other related cases."_

Ianto and Gwen hurried to there respective tasks. Jack replayed the CCTV footage again and again trying to ascertain any clues. The figure was definitely humanoid, with a pale complexion and no fashion sense. Jack froze the footage at the point where the figure stared blankly at the screen. It was the eyes. The dull grey eyes. They seemed to pierce the soul yet at the same time, they seemed to register absolutely nothing. Totally devoid of free will. On top of that, there was that one word echoing in his mind.

"_Mainframe"_

"_Mainframe"_

"_Mainframe"_

It was a possible lead, but it still didn't mean anything on its own. Maybe the others had found more reliable information. He headed over to Gwen's workspace.

"_Any luck?"_

"_Just one match." _Gwen tapped a few keys on her keyboard and an image flashed up on the screen. The image was of a Cardiff University student card with a small photo. Even without the pale skin and the grey eyes, there was no mistaking the face. It was definitely their target. "_Lewis Adams, 19 years old, Physics student at Cardiff University. Looking at his background information, everything seems normal. No history of depression, no family problems, no nothing!"_

"_Kinda cute before he went all Marilyn Manson."_

"_There's a time and a place Jack."_

"_I'm just saying."_

"_Just look at the I.D, it was only issued a few weeks ago. It's likely that whatever happened to him was fairly recent."_

"_Most likely cos I have found nothing." Ianto said as he made his up to where the other two were. "Nothing like what we saw today, however there are a few things within the past four months that may have a link."_

"_Such as?" _Jack was genuinely baffled now. If something like this had happened before, they would have noticed. Ianto brandished a small file and opened it on the worktop.

"_I found this in the files at the Heath. 27__th__ June, Leo Yaeger was admitted to hospital with severe animal bites to the neck and left shoulder. Died of excessive blood loss."_

A glimmer of recognition crossed Gwen's face. "_Didn't we…_"

"_Yeah," c_onfirmed Ianto._ "At the time, we assumed it to be a Weevil attack, and that there wasn't much we could do." _He then pointed to a picture included in the file. _"I enlarged the photo when I found the link. Look at his neck."_

Jack and Gwen squinted at the picture. A look of realisation dawned over both their faces as they saw the link that Ianto was going on about. It was a tattoo. It was like the one that Lewis had on his neck, but instead of a flame, it was an eye. It was shown from a side view with what appeared to be a red shimmering beam emanating from it. A bit too obscure to be a coincidence. Also, the more he thought about it, the Weevil that had been recovered that night had been in pretty poor shape. It's left leg was nothing but a scarred mess of burnt skin and putrefied flesh. Owen had made a cheap shot about Kentucky Fried Weevil and wanted to call it "The Colonel", but everyone else vetoed the idea on the grounds that Owen was an idiot.

"_So you think that these masked marauders have been attacking the city for a while."_

Before Ianto could respond, Jack's wrist strap started to bleep.

"_Unidentified energy signature at the Uni Campus."_

"_Rift activity?" _questioned Gwen?

"_Either that or BBQ Boy has decided to make another appearance."_

"_After this, I'm definitely going to fireproof the SUV."_ Ianto muttered under his breath.

--

The University of Cardiff was a beautiful building with an interesting history. However, the introduction of a pyromancer trying to incinerate everything in sight was definitely going to be worth a footnote. Students were running for their lives as the figure hurled fireball after fireball, leaving a trail of flames and ash in his path.

The Torchwood SUV swerved onto the scene. Jack hopped out, quickly followed by Gwen and Ianto.

"_Okay,_" Jack started. _"I'll go on ahead and see if I can knock some sense into him. You two protect the students."_ Before either one could say anything, Jack had already melded into the crowd.

Jack delved through the oncoming mob of fleeing students and tried to make his way toward the pyromancer. He could see the figure levitating around a group of girls that he had trapped within a ring of fire. The look on his face was a look of total insanity, but his eyes still retained the soulless demeanour of a lack of control. Jack readied his Webley and positioned himself to ensure a clear shot. His finger squeezed the trigger and three shot rang out. The figure that had once been Lewis Adams quickly spun round to see the bullets screaming towards him. Jack was surprised at how quickly this had been taken care of. At least he would have been…

All three bullets passed straight through him and embedded themselves harmlessly in a nearby tree. To say that Jack had not been prepared for that would have been an understatement.

"_What the hell are you?"_ he shouted at the figure that was now advancing towards him.

"_Suffer at the hands of Flamethrower!" _the figure snarled, encircling him within another ring of fire.

"_How did you become like this?"_

"_Mainframe."_

"_What's Mainframe?"_

"_Something that doesn't concern you," _Flamethrower growled in a guttural voice_. "I have no need for the likes of you. Suffer at the hands of Flamethrower!"_

"_You already said that,"_ exclaimed Jack, getting increasingly annoyed. _"Not got a very extensive vocabulary have ya?"_

"_Actions speak louder than words," _Flamethrower bellowed, charging another fireball.

He never actually carried out this action. What happened next seemed to occur in a matter of seconds. A large blast of water shot from nowhere, knocking Flamethrower to the ground writhing in pain. Jack looked around to find the source of the water and his potential saviour. Said saviour took the form of a young woman in cerulean blue robes with a blonde hair adorned with a sapphire tiara. In addition to that, she had a tattoo as well. A tattoo in the shape of a tear drop.

"_Hey handsome,"_ the stranger said with a playful tone in her voice. _"Need a hand?"_

Well, that's chapter 3 done. Please R&R.


	4. Esc, Ctrl, Pg Up but no “any” key

Disclaimer: - I don't own Torchwood

Chapter 3 – Esc, Ctrl, Pg Up but no "any" key.

"_Hey Handsome, need a hand?"___

"_Whoa mama!" _Jack thought as he stared at the stranger. She was beautiful. Tall, athletic figure with a cute smile. Then there were the eyes. Like Flamethrower, they were grey and piercing but unlike the figure writhing on the ground, her eyes retained her humanity. There was still a sense of human innocence. At that moment, Jack really did not trust himself to say anything coherent. As he silently nodded the woman smirked cheekily at him.

"_Strong silent type, I like that in a man. Let's go!"_

The newcomer summoned numerous jets of water towards the rings of fire, releasing Jack and the girls from their pyrokinetic prisons. Jack turned towards the group.

"_Get outta here now!" _he yelled. They didn't need to be told twice. As they ran for safety, Jack set his sights on Flamethrower, who had begun to recover from his impromptu shower and was engaged in a fierce battle with the mysterious woman. He narrowly avoided a stream of water and jumped to avoid a second.

"_Suffer at the hands of Flamethrower!"_ he snarled, retaliating with a burst of flames.

"_Pretty boy was right," _the woman said, dodging the flames gracefully_. "You really don't have much to say."_

"_I have little use for words!"_

"_Obviously, more of a hands- on kinda guy. Tip for the future, you might want to go with a lighter touch." _The remark must have hit a nerve.

"_Who are you who dare insult the might that is Flamethrower?"_

The woman smirked. _"They call me Cascade."_

"_What alliance are you?"_

"_Renegade."_

"_You were to pledge your allegiance to the Mainframe," _Flamethrower roared as he fired a continuous jet of fire at the other superhuman. _"A water witch like you is a disgrace to the renegades."_

"_You made your choice Adams."_ Replied Cascade. She constructed a barrier of pure water around her, reducing the searing flames to steam. _"It isn't my fault that your choice left you a few bits short of a byte."_

"_That name no longer has any meaning to me!" _growled Flamethrower. _"That weakling no longer exists! I am Flamethrower! I am a servant of the mainframe and I have one interest at this point in time."_

"_Such as?"_ Cascade asked. She was getting rapidly bored of her opponent's lack of originality, with his melodramatic threats and "I will kill you," monologues.

"_Your death!"_ replied Flamethrower as his right hand became engulfed in flames. _"Your imminent death!"_ He let loose with a volley of fiery punches. Cascade recoiled in agony as the fists burned through her robes, scorching the flesh underneath. She looked up at the figure towering over her. His eyes dull and grey.

"_It ends here!"_ Flamethrower snarled as he raised his fist to deliver the final blow. _"Your game is over!"_

Cascade closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable. The blow never came. She opened her eyes to see Flamethrower grappling with Captain Jack.

"_Hey buddy, didn't your parents teach ya how to treat a lady?"_

"_That bitch has betrayed her allegiance! She has no right to the powers she has been granted! "The mainframe will reign supreme!"_

"_Ya know something? You're a really boring conversationalist," _Jack retorted as he rammed a stun gun into the pyromancer's chest and squeezed the trigger. A bolt of electricity coursed through Flamethrower as he writhed in pain and collapsed in a heap on the ground. Jack gazed at the figure with a look of contempt before tending to his wounds. Not too bad. They were superficial. He turned to Cascade who was trying to move as little as possible to prevent further injury.

"_Hey there… Sorry, I don't think I caught your name."_

"_Cascade, my name is Cascade," _she replied as she inspected an angry looking burn on her shoulder.

"_Nice name. Anyway, are you okay?"_

"_I think I'll live," _Cascade giggled. "_What about you? You look like you've been barbecued!"_

"_Been there, done that, rescued the t- shirt from off the grill,"_ Jack chuckled. _"As long as my wounds are left open, they should heal no problem. I remember one time they healed over my clothes. It wasn't a pretty sight. It was my favourite coat as well. Okay, I know I'm asking an obvious question but who the hell are you?"_

"_I could ask the same about you," _replied Cascade as she stood up carefully. "_Thing is, I think it would be easier to explain once I've found my friend."_

"_Yeah, mine too," _Jack said, remembering Ianto and Gwen. "_Hope they're alright."_

--

"_Where did you disappear to?" _Gwen asked Ianto as she attended to a young couple huddled by the main building.

"_Back to the car. I've tried jamming the phone lines, but I don't think it'll be much help. This goes way beyond the realms of harmless student prank. Anyone seriously injured?"_

"_Not really." _Gwen replied_. "It's mostly shock."_

"_Well just in case, I brought these." _Ianto tossed a small object in Gwen's direction. It was the Bekaran tissue scanner. Probably the only piece of xenotechnology in the hub that had not only worked properly, but also hadn't endangered the crew's lives in any way. Gwen caught the gadget and helped the couple to their feet. It was then that she saw someone out of the corner of her eye who didn't seem to be in good shape.

"_Ianto!" _she called. _"Could you check on that girl over there? I'm a bit busy."_

"_With an offer like that, how can I refuse?" _Ianto commented dryly. He made his way towards the girl in question. It was a truly disturbing sight. She was huddled by the steps of the main 

building, trying to cover her eyes. Ianto crouched next to her, a bit unsure how to continue. He gently placed his hand on her shoulder. It always used to work with Lisa.

"_It's okay_," he told her in a soothing tone. "_He's gone now_."

"_Get away from me!" _the girl cried.

"_I'm only trying to help_," Ianto said, feeling a small sense of helplessness.

"_You can't help me. Nobody can help me. He said he could sense the evil on me. He said I would be like him."_

"_Who said that?" _Ianto asked, already expecting the answer.

"_The fire demon." _The girl replied, her voice becoming rapidly distorted. _"He said that I would take my place in the universe, that I would help the mainframe reign supreme!" _

The last remark chilled Ianto to the bone. Another mention of the mainframe. Before he could think about this further, he noticed something that made him realise just how much danger he was in. He'd seen it in Adams and Yaeger and now in her.

A tattoo.

A tattoo on her neck.

An intricate image of the human brain.

The next thing he knew, Ianto found himself being pushed away by some inhuman force and landing on the ground with a sickening crunch. He fought back the pain looking at the approaching figure. The distraught young lady had gone, replaced with jet black hair, pale skin and talon like claws all wrapped up in a tight fitting black dress. Ianto noticed the playful smirk directed at him, but those grey eyes were totally devoid of compassion and sympathy.

"_Pity you're not one of us, _she said in a psychotic, almost seductive tone. _On the bright side, you'll have the honour of being the first to die at the hands of Madame Espa."_

To be continued next chapter.

Left it on a bit of a cliffie this time, but I'll try to update quickly.

**PygmyCritter – **Glad you liked the Weevil gag. I like trying to inject humour into stuff like that. Enjoy!


	5. System Overload

Disclaimer: - I don't own Torchwood

Chapter 4 – System Overload

"_On the bright side, you'll have the honour of being the first to die at the hands of Madame Espa."_

Ianto wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of screaming. However, he was hoping that something or someone was going to give him a bit of assistance. As if on cue, a volley of bullets shot towards them, momentarily diverting Madame Espa's attention from Ianto. It wasn't much, but it was just enough of a distraction for him to get out of the way. The psychic glanced at the barrage of death coming towards her. She quickly raised her right hand, chanting incoherently. The bullets began to slow down. Slower and slower until they were suspended in mid air. The psychic snapped her fingers, causing the bullets to fall harmlessly to the ground revealing a shocked Gwen, brandishing the smoking gun. A single thought running through her mind.

"_Oh shit!"_

She snapped back to reality at the sight of Ianto, and hurried over to him.

"_Y'alright cariad?" _she asked_,_ giving him a quick check with the Bekaran scanner. Nothing broken. He'd have a hell of a bruise, but no serious injuries. He was just a bit shaken. Aided by Gwen, Ianto stood up carefully, ready to confront his attacker.

"_How touching!"_ came the unpleasant voice of Madame Espa as she concentrated her full attention on the duo. _"Maybe you will be of some amusement to me." _She raised her right hand and clenched it into fist, glowing with a dark aura.

The next thing Gwen felt was unbearable pain. It was as if someone had cut open her skull and was directly stabbing her brain with an ice pick. It was agony. She just wanted to black out from the pain. Her vision started to blur. She felt Ianto holding her up, stopping her from falling. Oddly enough, he didn't seem to be affected as much as Gwen. He had a look of discomfort, but that was about it. The psychic had also noticed this, and was understandably surprised.

"_Strange, my telepathy has little effect on you. Why is that?"_

"_Well, since that info is keeping me alive, you'll understand if I don't tell you anything," _retorted Ianto.For the first time since he had left Torchwood One, his psychic training had been useful. It wasn't blocking her out completely, but at least his mind wasn't being reduced to mush. He was a bit confused as to why Gwen had not received similar training when she joined them. That was Jack for you. Shoot first, ask later.

Madame Espa pouted at his response. It was like getting blood from a stone. This man had a stubborn mind. He was stubborn, and he wasn't going to be telling her anything anytime soon. His friend though… her mind was weak from the mental torture. She should have some juicy information. She probed through the older woman's mind, looking for the right memories. Gwen screamed and convulsed as she felt her mind being violated by an unseen force.

"_Excuse me, have you seen a blowfish driving a sports car?"_

"_You should see his manners in bed. They're atrocious ... apparently. So I've heard."_

"_But hold on, if no one can see it when the lift's coming up, there's a great big bloody hole in the floor. Don't people fall in?"_

"_You've been hidden down here too long. Spending so much time with the alien stuff. You've lost what it means to be human."_

"_Torchwood doesn't do maternity leave - Sorry Jack, I'd love to deal with those aliens but I can't find a babysitter or I'll deal with that bomb once I've dropped Rhys Jr. off at preschool."_

"_What's Torchwood?"_

"_Torchwood"_

"_Torchwood"_

"_Torchwood"_

Gwen tried to fight back, but it was no use. She slowly felt her consciousness ebbing away. Her field of vision diminished. Her eyes rolled up in their sockets and her body went limp in Ianto's arms. Ianto gently lay her down on the grass and turned to Madame Espa. Her face had now contorted into a twisted grin. Like when somebody knows a secret about you and plans to blackmail you with it.

"_Torchwood." _She stated with a tone that bordered somewhere between glee and psychosis. _"Three little creatures defending the Earth from the monsters. The captain, shrouded in mystery. The carer, who reminded you what it was like to be human again. Then there's you, someone who in a world that likes its nice shiny labels…_

"… _has no true identity," _finished Ianto.

"_Why not join me?" _The young woman asked, the seductive tone creeping back into her voice. _"You've impressed me with your talents. I'm sure the Mainframe could accommodate you with an appropriate power. You could be my companion… with benefits"_

If he was single and if this woman had not been a psychic psychopath, he might have considered the offer.

"_Weeelllll…" _he began, trying to sound nonchalant. _" I'm flattered, but I have to decline such a generous proposal and…" _Ianto never actually got to finish that sentence. He suddenly found himself being telekinetically lifted off the ground. He also felt a pair of invisible hands closing around his throat. Strangling him in midair. As he gasped for breath, he saw Madame Espa scowling at him with grey, unresponsive eyes, clasping the empty space around her. Imagining his neck was in that space. Choking the life out of him. It was safe to say that she was monumentally pissed off!

As he felt his vision blur, Ianto tried one last plan. While she was focusing her energy towards his demise, Ianto managed to grab his gun from his belt, hoping to fire a stray shot at her. Not kill her, but distract her enough to lose focus. He'd think of the rest of the plan as he'd go along.

The problem was that the scenario in his head was extremely different to what really happened.

In reality, Madame Espa yanked the gum from his hand with a bolt of psychic energy that engulfed his entire right arm. Ianto cried out in pain as he felt something snap this time. He looked at his arm and almost vomited in shock. His arm was broken in four places. Fragments of bone were embedded into shredded muscle tissue. Blood was seeping out of the wounds and mingling with the white material of his torn shirt sleeve. Maybe it was the adrenaline, or maybe the blood loss, but the only thing running through Ianto's mind was why he had decided to wear a white shirt. Next mission, he was wearing maroon. Blood doesn't show up as much on maroon. Oh God, he was delirious!

Madame Espa, still focusing on choking Ianto tightened her grip. _"It's a pity really. So much potential._ _Sure you won't reconsider? Keep in mind what will happen if you choose the wrong answer."_

This was followedby a scream of pain as the psychic convulsed under a massive electrical surge and collapsed in an unconscious heap. Ianto, now released from his psychic torture, was dropped unceremoniously on the ground.

"_You'll have to take it up with them 'cos I'm spoken for." _He croakily addressed the body as he looked up. The cavalry had arrived in the form of Captain Jack Harkness, a pretty young lady in blue robes and a stun gun.

"_Hey sport, ya gonna be alright?" _asked Jack, gingerly holding the Welshman.

Ianto cringed at the use of his least favourite pet name and nodded silently.

Then everything went black.

Another Chapter done. Couple of things.

It is established that all Torchwood one employees have psychic training, but it is never actually mentioned whether Gwen receives this or not. For the sake of this story, she hasn't.

Madame Espa probes Gwen mind after weakening her, which explains how she manages to get past Ianto's psychic resistance. The actual description of Ianto is adapted from the book "The Twilight Streets," in which Ianto uses this description to tell Gwen the problem of being bisexual.

**bbmcowgirl**** – **Thanks for reviewing. Glad you like it so far. It's people like you that make me enjoy writing. Hopefully, there'll be more on the way. Bye for now.


	6. Site Unavailable

Disclaimer: - I don't own Torchwood.

Chapter 6 – Site unavailable.

It was slowly coming back to him. Ianto stirred as his vision slowly returned. The fire monster, the psychic, Gwen being mentally assaulted, Jack and another woman saving him from Madame Espa, and then everything had gone black. Everything at the moment just felt like one jumbled mess. That and his right arm felt considerably numb.

He blinked and tried to determine his surroundings. Dark and draughty. As he groped around, he felt the cold hard metal of a hospital trolley. Then, realisation dawned upon him. He was in the autopsy room. He was back in the hub. His mind was filled with numerous questions. What was this mainframe that these people kept mentioning? Who was that woman with Jack? Also, why the hell was his arm so numb? As he lay there trying to make sense of the situation, the strains of a heated argument broke the silence.

"_He's not gonna like this!"_

"_It was either this or lose his arm. If you had a better idea, you've missed your chance! I highly doubt a conventional hospital would've been able to save it."_

"_But…"_

"_You saw his arm! I've seen road kill that looked better."_

"_I'm just saying that he's not gonna like it."_

"_Keep it down! You're going to wake him up." _

He recognised Jack and Gwen's voices, but the owner of the third voice was a mystery to him. Probably the woman he saw before he blacked out. He sat up slowly. Big mistake. The sudden rush of blood to his head instantly disorientated him. He clasped his right hand to his head. This small action would probably have the worst possible effect upon him. He looked at his right arm, and screamed…

--

**(Two hours earlier)**

"_**Dammit Ianto, stay focused!"**_** Jack shouted as the younger man collapsed. He frantically searched for some sign of life. He breathed a sigh of relief as he located a faint pulse. Ianto was alive, but for how long?**

"_**He's a tough one." **_**Cascade said as she was looking at the stunned form of Madame Espa. **_**"Many would've gone mad, but he stood his ground."**_

"_**Fat lot of good it did," grumbled Jack, laying the unconscious Ianto gently on the ground. He suddenly remembered and turned to face Cascade. "Didn't you say you were looking for your friend?"**_

_**Cascade nodded, her eyes beginning to water. "You just stunned her!" she said in an odd tone. It wasn't accusatory, but it was a tone that seemed to silently ask Jack whether there could have been an alternative. "Her name is Amy Rossiter. She just wanted to fit in. She was always into how the mind works and ESP and that kind of thing…" **_**She had trailed off. It disturbed Jack that she was speaking as if her friend had died, like she was delivering a eulogy. **

__

"_**She's just stunned," **_**he said, trying to comfort her.**_** "She'll have a hell of a headache, but she should be fine."**_

"_**In her state, that news doesn't fill me with much confidence."**_** Cascade replied dully. **_**"Besides, we've got more important things to worry about. Honestly, I don't think your friend's arm can be saved."**_

"_**Don't say that! He'll be fine. They'll both be fine!" **_**Jack shouted hysterically. He knew he was deluding himself. Ianto's arm looked like it had been mauled by their resident weevil, Janet. It really didn't even resemble an arm any more. Gwen would be fine. He could take her back to the hub and treat her with the delta wave augmenter. An hour or two on that would heal the residual shock of a mental assault and prevent the risk of any trauma. Ianto on the other hand, was a different story. He had to face facts. An operation to save his arm was beyond him and they probably wouldn't be able to get him to a hospital in time.**

"_**We've got one chance." **_**Cascade snapped him out of his trail of thought. **_**"Have you got a computer?"**_

"_**What?" **_

"_**I need a computer. I can't use my own, they'll detect it!"**_

"_**Well, the hub has fail safes that can block interception, but…"**_

**Cascade rushed past him and lifted Gwen up. **_**"Back to this "hub" then, I'll explain on the way."**_

**--**

**Jack was never the safest driver. It was probably the reason why the Torchwood SUV came equipped with vomit bags. Toshiko had currently held the record of using seven in one mission (Ianto had nearly had a heart attack at the prospect of cleaning the car that day). Cascade had just beaten that record by two. It was apparent that Captain Jack driving when worried was even worse. The fact that Ianto and Gwen were unconscious in the back did not help matters.**

"_**You still didn't answer my question," **_**Jack stated as he swerved around a corner, nearly hitting a pedestrian.**

"_**Believe it or not, I'm human like you."**_

"_**Oh, so you're a head of a secret organisation that can't die and will shag anything with a phone number? Cos they're really hard to come by." **_

**Cascade tried to stifle a laugh. "**_**Well maybe not exactly like you."**_

"_**So who are you?"**_

"_**I'm a character that I created for a computer game."**_

"_**A game like that should be taken off the market."**_

"_**Anyway, the game is called Superpower Inc. It's a strategy RPG that allows people to design superheroes or villains and fight each other. You train to earn experience and fight other characters to gain different superpowers."**_

"_**Right…" **_**Jack interjected, not completely convinced.**

__

"_**Players start off with a primary power and then earn different powers and attacks as the game progresses. Mine for example, was hydrokinesis, weather control and super strength."**_

"_**Kinda like Storm then. Man, she was hot."**_

"_**It doesn't seem to happen to all players," **_**Cascade continued, ignoring Jack's interruptions. "**_**It just happens to the renegades.**_**"**

"_**Yeah, Flamethrower mentioned that. What did he mean?" Jack asked, as he narrowly avoided running over a stray cat.**_

"_**One of the factions is called Renegades. They serve the mainframe and fight for good or evil depending on their powers."**_

"_**How?"**_

"_**The powers are listed as being good, evil or neutral. The more you use them, the more they affect your morality. Good powers equal hero, Bad equals villain. It's just a feeling that starts nagging at the back of your head but over time it… KEEP YOUR MIND ON THE ROAD!"**_

**Jack swerved and the car screeched down a one way street. If he hadn't turned, he would've collided straight into a brick wall. Not the most dignified way to die. Jack smiled apologetically at Cascade. She returned this with an icy glare.**

"_**Idiot!"**_

"_**Hey, what happened to pretty boy?"**_

"_**That was before I saw you drive. I've lost my trail of thought now. Oh yeah, the powers affect the players mind. Heroes retain their free will, but villains become willing servants to the mainframe."**_

**--**

"_**Gwen is in the augmenter. She'll be fine in about an hour."**_** Cascade walked over to the autopsy room. The site of the hub had amazed her. To think that something this big was hiding under Cardiff bay. However, she had withheld her awe until she and Jack had got Ianto and Gwen back safely. She picked up the laptop she had been using and walked over to Jack, who was there affectionately stroking Ianto's hair as he lay on the cold medical trolley. Jack looked up towards her and frowned. He had already asked her what her plan was to help Ianto. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know.**

"_**I've created a new character on Superpower Inc. I only put his name in, so he should retain his memories"**_

"_**Should?"**_

"_**Keeping the profile as basic as possible seems to keep the player as a normal person. Most affected players live in their own little fantasy world, with their fabricated lives. Anyway, I've used a cheat code to ensure evil powers are inhibited. He'll be fine. Just place his hand on the laptop."**_

**Jack complied and placed Ianto's good hand on the computer. The laptop emitted a high pitched whine and an electric shock as Ianto's arm involuntarily twitched. The programme had worked. A small window flashed on the screen.**

Status Updated

Codename: - Ianto Jones

Alliance: - Renegade

Initial Power: - Technopathy – The ability to interface and control machinery. Also has the added ability of healing via regenerative nanites, using state of the art biomerging techniques.

Power Type: - Good

Thank you for pledging your alliance to the Mainframe. You may now begin your quest.

**Jacked looked at the screen in horror. Anything but this. Ianto had to deal with this before. The battle of Canary Wharf, Lisa Hallet. What the hell had he done?**

**--**

(Present)

Gwen groggily awoke from the delta augmenter, feeling like a bear with a sore head. She could remember fragments of what had happened. She remembered that odd girl, then unbearable agony, then an odd sensation, like someone had been looking in her mind. She shivered. She felt so violated. She was jolted from her thoughts by a heated argument coming from the hub. Jack was yelling at someone, so this must have been serious. Usually it was just a sarcastic quip.

"_Jack?"_ she called, hoping to dispel the argument before it got any further. The person in question looked in her direction before running up and enveloping her in a hug. At this point, the ability to breathe was rapidly becoming an issue.

"_Gwen, y'alright?_"

"_Apart from feeling how I did on my hen night, fine. I can't remember much, just that girl and… Oh my god, Ianto! Is he ok?"_

Jack's features contorted into a scowl and turned towards the mysterious woman. _"Ask her!" _he grunted. _"Gwen, this is Cascade. Cascade, Gwen."_ The introduction was extremely half hearted.

Cascade walked over to Gwen._ "The thing is,"_ she said "_Ianto's right arm was severely injured in the fight with Madame Espa. The only thing I could do was to run a program to allow him to regenerate his arm cybernetically."_

Gwen was speechless. Ianto had felt like the world had lost all meaning the day Lisa died. She had seen him on occasion crying when he thought no one else was looking. He had loved her with all his heart and this treatment was going to leave him with cruel reminder that Lisa was gone. 

"_He's not gonna like this!" Jack said coldly._

"_It was either this or lose his arm. If you had a better idea, you've missed your chance! I highly doubt a conventional hospital would've been able to save it."_

"_But…"_

"_You saw his arm! I've seen road kill that looked better."_

"_I'm just saying that he's not gonna like it."_

"_Keep it down! You're going to wake him up." _Gwen intervened. God, they were squabbling like kids. At this point in time, the best approach would be to break the news to Ianto gently.

A loud scream echoed from the autopsy room.

So much for the gentle approach.

**Well that's another chapter done. Thought I'd make this chapter a bit more serious. Please R&R.**

Helen Pattskyn – Glad that you like it so far. I hope you continue to read and enjoy.

bbmcowgirl – Yeah, I was a bit of a bastard toward Ianto wasn't I. It seemed to be the most likely candidate. Jack would've shrugged it off, it didn't feel right with Gwen and Tosh and Owen are dead. Oh well, lets hope he can use his new powers for the best (CyberIanto might be a good idea for a spinoff) lol.


	7. USB

Disclaimer: - I don't own Torchwood.

Chapter 6 – USB

Jack bounded across to the autopsy room, quickly followed by Gwen and Cascade. The scream he had heard had chilled him to the bone. As he headed toward Ianto, he froze, standing there with a look of pure horror. It wasn't a pleasant sight. In fact, it was heart wrenching.

Ianto was sitting upright on the gurney. He had his hands around his knees, curled in a foetal position as he rocked shakily back and forth. He seemed to be completely oblivious to the people around him, as if he was in a state of shock. Tears were streaming down his eyes, and he appeared to be mumbling something unintelligible. Trying to protect himself from the reality of the situation. Ianto had suffered many hardships in his life, and was slowly getting over them, but his new "acquisition" had brought back all the painful memories, drowning him in a tidal wave of sorrow.

A glint of light caught Jack's eye as he stared at Ianto's new arm. It was nothing like he had expected. When he had read about the ability on the screen, he had thought the nanites would simply regenerate and repair Ianto's arm from excess bone and muscle tissue. What had happened was much more painful. Flesh and blood was fused with metals, plastics, wires and electrodes. It looked like the nanites had replaced the damaged tissue and bone with cybernetic implants, and combined it with the remnants of his arm, leaving a rather lethal prosthesis.

Jack cautiously took a few steps forwards and looked at Ianto's face. What he saw was truly upsetting.

His eyes.

His dull grey eyes.

Ianto just seemed to be radiating depression, sadness and pain. When he had seen his arm, all the memories came flooding back. Torchwood One, the cybermen, Lisa, his betrayal to Torchwood three. All this was reflected in his eyes.

"_Ianto?" _Jack asked in a soothing tone.

No reply.

"_Ianto?"_ Jack asked again, this time with a hint of fear in his voice.

Still no reply.

"_Oh god, what have I done to you Ianto!" _Jack embraced him, tears beginning to form in his eyes. The contact appeared to snap Ianto out of his daze. He was a bit surprised to see his boss hugging him and crying into his shoulder. He did the only thing he felt capable of doing at that moment. He returned the gesture with a one armed embrace.

"_W-w-what's happened to me?"_ he asked Jack. It seemed such an obvious question, but at the same time he felt there was more to this then meets the eye.

Jack glanced up at the Welshman and tried to compose himself. _"How much do you remember?" _he enquired. He was hoping Cascade would help with the explanation. She was just as much to blame as he was.

"_Madame Espa," _Ianto mumbled, trying to make sense of the last few hours._ "I remember her attacking Gwen. I remember the pain. Then you arrived. You and that girl. Oh and for the record, I hate being called sport!"_

If the situation had been better, Jack would have laughed.

"_You haven't answered my question."_

Jack sighed heavily. _"Your arm was too badly damaged to save. I agreed to allow your arm to be repaired like this. If I hadn't, you probably would have died from blood loss."_

The next thing that Jack felt was immense pain and a sickening crack as something collided with his nose. He landed unceremoniously on the cold hard floor, clutching his bleeding nose. He soon found out what the "something" was. The "something" was Ianto's fist. Surprisingly, he had used his normal fist but Jack was not going to complain. Granted, it would heal in a minute or two, but that was beside the point. The point was that he had violated the first commandment of Torchwood three.

Thou shalt not piss of the tea boy.

He should have expected something like this.

He quickly glanced at Ianto. He didn't look much different. With the exception of his right arm, his eyes and a tattoo of a circuit board on his neck, he still looked the same. Jack was wondering why that didn't fill him with much confidence. Probably the look of fury that practically screamed "I don't care that we're together, I'm gonna kick the shit out of you."

Yeah… That was probably it.

He dodged to right as Ianto lunged at him in a vain attempt to throttle him. He knew he had to calm him down somehow.

"_Ianto… I didn't know this was going to happen," _Jack started.

"_Why didn't you just convert me completely while you were at it?" _Ianto yelled, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"_Believe me, if there was another way, I would've taken it but…" _

Ianto lunged at him again, this time tackling him to the ground. Gwen and Cascade looked on in shock. Gwen took a few steps forward in an attempt to break up the fight but Cascade held her back. She explained that it would be best to let them duke it out. Gwen started to protest, but the water mage assured her that everything would become clear.

Jack was pinned down by Ianto who was about to deliver the final blow. His cybernetic hand was bunched into a fist, ready to smash his face in. This was going to hurt like hell. Jack braced himself.

The blow never came.

Jack looked up to see Ianto frozen on the spot. A small LED screen was displayed on his arm displaying the following message.

**Renegade - Ianto Jones**

**Directive 1 has been compromised.**

**Chronon lock activated. **

**Re- boot in 20 minutes.**

Jack stared at Ianto, and then at the two women.

"_What the hell happened?"_ he asked, more to himself. Cascade provided him with the answer.

"_He broke one of the rules. It's how the game punishes you if you disobey the guidelines. It exerts a stasis field around the player and prevents you from doing anything for a set amount of time."_

"_So what did he do?" _Jack asked, nursing his sore nose.

"_Technopathy comes under the good powers. He is only allowed to use that to protect, help and defend. What he did was plain assault. It also doesn't help that he's technically bound by Asimov's laws."_

"_But how did he hit Jack the first time if it goes against the rules?" _Gwen asked, feeling that she would probably get a long winded answer.

"_He didn't use his power then. He hit Jack with his ordinary hand so it didn't count. Since I only put his name on the profile, it didn't change him completely. Some people like to live out their sad little fantasies and become entirely different people. Ianto is still human because everything in his profile is real."_

"_But there wasn't anything in his profile," _Jack replied. Then it clicked. "_Ohhh… I get it, since there's nothing there, there's no element of fiction. The game had nothing to go on."_

"_Leaving Ianto's mind and personality intact," _finished Gwen.

"_Exactly_," beamed Cascade. _"He's normal… with benefits."_

"_As good as that may sound," _Jack said, still pinned by the Ianto statue," _can you please get me out from here? I have no intention of dying at the hands of a pissed off cyber Welshman_!"

**--**

(20 minutes later)

**Chronon lock deactivated**

**Renegade - Ianto Jones status normal.**

**Quest resumed.**

Ianto's body jerked back into motion as he punched the empty space that Jack's body had occupied twenty minutes ago. He glanced around, searching for his target. At that point, he was distracted by a faint beeping on his arm. The mixture of flesh and metal disgusted him, but strangely intrigued him at the same time. He looked at his arm. The LED screen was flashing and three words were displayed.

**10010101101 He's behind you! 1010101010101**

Ianto spun round. Nobody there.

"_Oh no he isn't!"_ thought Ianto bitterly.

More beeping. Ianto checked the screen on his arm again.

**01010110101 Oh yes he is! 0010101110100011**

Ianto stood there, completely baffled. Next thing he knew, he felt two arms grappling him from behind trying to restrain him. It didn't take a genius to figure out who it was.

"_Bastard!"_ He spat, trying to break free from Jack's grip.

"_Yan, just listen to me for a sec," _Jack replied, with a pleading tone in his voice.

"_What more is there to say? How could you do this to me?"_

"_Yan, please. You were badly injured, you nearly died! I couldn't lose someone else I care about! I had no idea what Cascade was going to do. I just had to trust that she knew what she was doing, and I know you aren't really up to it now but I need ya to do the same for me."_

Ianto looked carefully at Jack. His eyes were watering and his breathing was ragged. Telltale signs that the situation was serious. The sight of Jack on the verge of tears was heartbreaking. It showed that he wasn't invulnerable. He wasn't infallible. He was still human.

Ianto lowered his arm and gave a slight nod. He hadn't completely forgiven Cascade for doing this to him or Jack for giving consent, but he was on the way.

Jack acknowledged the silent response with a small hug. Like they had a mutual understanding.

"_Gwen and Cascade are in the briefing room,"_ he said, trying to sound normal. _"I think it's about time we were brought up to speed."_

_**Well, that's another chapter done. Please r&r.**_

**bbmcowgirl**_** – You make a good point. I have a few ideas about how Ianto's new powers will help the team. Should make for interesting reading. :-p**_

**Rose Tyler**** – Lol. Kinda sets the scene doesn't it? Hope you like it so far. ;-)**


	8. Standby mode

Disclaimer :- I don't own Torchwood or Asimov's Laws of Robotics.

Chapter 7 – Standby mode

"_Master!"_

"_**010101110 State your function! 101110100"**_

"_Two of our renegades have been beaten in public."_

"_**011000110 State names of fallen renegades.0101101011"**_

"_FlameThrower and Madame Espa master."_

"_**01101 Track location on renegades. 011010"**_

"_Location found. Both renegades were from the Cardiff area."_

_**010110 Information processed. Logical hypothesis implies that we are on the verge of being discovered in that area. 01010110 Request further information of today's events. 0101010101"**_

"_I'm afraid there is none available."_

"_**00110111 Impossible. There are numerous security cameras placed around the area. 10101001 Probability of all surveillance systems being inactive, 0.047. 0101010101**_

"_All surveillance footage within range of the fight has been wiped and most witnesses are too hysterical to give an accurate description of what happened. What do you propose master?"_

"_**00010101 Subject query, processing available data. 01010 Dispatch another renegade. 00101110**_

"_This one looks promising. Damien Boyd, aka Daemos. Powers includes cloning, strength, phasing shape shifting and... screaming."_

"_**010101011 Interesting. 01010101**__**Initiate signal to induce pseudo genetic activation.01010101**_

"_Yes Master."_

_--_

"… _basically it's a mental influence. It gets in your head and alters your perceptions. Bit by bit, depending on the type of powers used it manipulates your mind, for good or evil. It's controversial, but effective... Oh, hi Jack, Ianto."_

Gwen looked around to see the two men enter the conference room. Her eyes were immediately drawn to Ianto's arm. The twisted convolutions of flesh and metal were sickening, but she knew that at the moment, he needed support. She walked over and pulled Ianto into a hug.

"_I would ask how you are, but seeing what's happened it's sounds like a bit of a stupid question," _she said. Not many people would be in a good mood after having their arm mutilated.

Ianto smirked and returned the hug with his left arm. "_How are you after…_" he trailed off, remembering the mental assault.

" _I feel like I've been attacked by a Weevil_," Gwen replied. "_Anyway, have you met Cascade yet?_"

Ianto looked at the woman in question and frowned. He had accepted that there had been no alternative to save his arm but it didn't mean that he had to like the situation. His instincts told him to trust the woman in front of him. Even if she did turn him into a cyborg.

"_Ermm… Thanks for helping us," _he said, shaking her hand. There was still some slight tension, but not really enough to be noticed by the others.

"_No problem," _Cascade beamed. Catching sight of his arm, her smile faltered. _"I'm sorry about your arm."_

"_It'll take some getting used to," _Ianto admitted.

"_I can think of a few things it can be used for," _Jack interjected with a flirty tone. He was met with three cold glares.

"_Too soon?"_

"_Way too soon,"_ Ianto countered.

The Torchwood team sat down and listened as Cascade told them what she knew about how the game worked. How the players gain powers. How they engage in duels to steal other powers. How the use of powers manipulate a player's mind. It all made for interesting listening but there were a few things that had not yet been answered.

"_In effect, it's like varying forms of mind control," _Cascade continued. _"What for, I'm not exactly sure. Any questions?"_

"_Yeah, I've got a few,"_ piped Ianto. _"How did these people get their powers in reality?"_

"_It involves the computer, but I don't the exact mechanics behind it."_

"_The computer?" _asked Jack_."Everyone follow me, I've got an idea!"_

_--_

"_How long will this take?" _asked Cascade.

"_Couple of minutes," _Gwen replied as Jack retrieved a blood sample from Ianto. _"I'll route out the original." _

Cascade winced as she saw the needle in Ianto's arm drawing blood. She would never live it down. A superhero scared of needles. Everyone would have a field day.

Gwen reappeared with a vial of blood in her hand. Jack handed her the other one with newly acquired sample as she headed to a large grey machine by the monitor systems and inserted the two samples.

"_Genome analyser,"_ she said as if it was a full explanation. Cascade just nodded.

The machine buzzed and clicked as it analysed the samples. Ianto and Jack were both looking at the monitors which were displaying the results. On the left side of the screen was a double helix, representing Ianto's original blood sample. On the right was his recent sample. The difference was extraordinary. It was as if the actual helix itself was partially coated with metal.

"_So how does it work?" _asked Gwen.

Jack looked pensive as the last of the data was processed. He transferred the results to one of the larger monitors.

"_Sonic gene manipulation!" _he exclaimed. _"Ianto's DNA has been directly altered. That's how it works through the computer. A genetic programme transferred directly from the game into the player!"_

"_How?" _Gwen asked again. _"Don't forget that I was unconscious at the time."_

"_The programme Cascade said she had to run required Ianto to have his hand on the computer. There was a high pitched whine and an electric shock. The whine was a hypersonic frequency. The sonic waves destabilise the cell structure. The shock was a signal. It must have contained a metagenic programme to alter the genetic code."_ Jack checked the data again. _"There seems to be a mutagen inhibitor in the programme as well. Stabilises the DNA afterwards. Wow! Whoever made this programme knows what they're doing. Leave the inhibitor out and the host would continue to mutate." _

"_You've come across this technology before?" _asked Cascade. She had tried out the programme many times but she never actually knew how it worked.

"_More then I'd like to remember," _Jack replied_._ He thought back to the year that never happened. The tortuous year on board the Valiant. He remembered how the Master had utilised and perfected the technology from Laz Labs to accelerate the Doctor's true age. The technology was dangerous enough in the hands of an amateur. The idea of it being perfect to use was even more terrifying.

"_Jack!"_

The Captain was snapped out of his thoughts by Ianto shouting his name.

"_Am I stuck like this permanently?"_

Jack pulled the Welshman into another hug.

"_I honestly don't know Yan,"_ he said, fighting back tears.

Gwen joined them and put her hand on Ianto's shoulder affectionately.

"_We're here for you cariad," _she whispered to him. _"You never know, it might be useful."_

"_You have no idea!" _Cascade shouted as she joined them, carrying a laptop with her. _"Let's try a quick test. Ianto, hold the laptop and turn it on."_

"_Why didn't you turn it on when…"_

"_No, no, no, I mean with your new powers. I've seen a few technopaths before. It's quite a handy power. Put your palm on the screen."_

Ianto complied.

"_Now, envision the computer turning on in your mind. Will it to start."_

"_God, this sounds so corny," _Ianto thought as he tried to "think" the computer to turn on. The LED screen on his arm bleeped and generated a small piece of text.

**010110 God, this sounds so corny! 01010110**

Cascade and Ianto both sniggered at the displayed message. _"Try again," _urged Cascade. 

Ianto focused on the screen. He felt a bit silly just willing a machine to turn on. What was he actually supposed to think? Did he need to say anything for it to work? In the end, he decided on the simplest option.

"_Start!_" he thought.

The computer blinked on. Full power. Ready to use.

"_See? You're a natural!"_ Cascade said, a large grin spreading across her face.

"_Tot would be proud of you," _Jack added.

"_What else is Ianto capable of?"_ asked Gwen.

"_That's what I was planning to test." _Cascade replied. _"Ok Ianto, access any search engine and think Laws of Robotics/ Asimov/ override."_

"_Why?"_

"_Well…" _Cascade started.

"_Since you're part machine, you're affected by Asimov's laws of robotics," _Jack continued.

"_You've read Asimov?" _Ianto asked, half expecting some kind of innuendo.

"_We bonded over drinks," _Jack admitted sheepishly. "_Great sense of humour!"_

Whenever Jack mentioned that he had met, made friends with or "danced" with someone famous in the relative or distant past, the Torchwood crew had conducted a strategy for this. Nod slightly, give a bit of a chuckle and carry on as if nothing had happened. After all, Jack was a name dropper and it boosted his ego. Gwen and Ianto followed the procedure to the letter. Cascade just stood there with a confused look on her face.

"_Don't worry, he's prone to boasting,"_ Gwen explained, ignoring Jack pouting.

"_Anyway, back to the real world," _Cascade continued. "_Ianto_, _the screen on your arm. What is it displaying?"_

Ianto looked at the screen fused to his arm. Among rams of binary, text started to form:-

**010011 Laws of Robotics 0101010**

**A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. **

**A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. **

**A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. **

**01010101 Do you wish to initiate override? 0101010101**

"_Say yes," _Cascade told Ianto. Ianto looked at the screen on his arm and agreed.

**0101010101 Override activated. Substituting Asimov's laws with Heideger's derivatives. 010101010**

**Any form of artificial intelligence has the same rights as sentience.**

**Any form of A.I is capable of making its own decisions and issue orders.**

**Any form of A.I is entitled to defend itself.**

**A.I cannot harm those it trusts and vice versa.**

"_With that in place, you won't be affected by the chronon lock the next time you punch someone,"_ Cascade explained.

"_How do you know all of this?"_ Gwen asked.

"_Trial and error. Like I said, I've met a few technopaths, all affected by the chronon lock whenever they tried to defend themselves. Finding that site took a week and several attempts to find."_

"_Whereas you could've found it in a couple of minutes if you'd have rerouted the data encryptions of the net using the Sargasso algorithm coupled with a omni link byfold matrix. It would have rendered any firewalls obsolete, especially by triangulating the primary access node and triggering a feedback loop on a K47 regression arc."_

Three pairs of eyes stared at the person responsible for the technological outburst.

Ianto.

"_What the hell was that?" _Jack asked, almost speechless.

"_I think he's channelling Tosh!" _Gwen quipped, trying to stifle a giggle.

"_How did I know that?" _Ianto asked, his voice equal parts of intrigue and confusion.

"_Your arm's basically one big computer." _Gwen said. It was starting to make sense now. _"You must have absorbed the data off the internet and stored it in the implants in your arm. Is that right Cascade?"_

"_Umm… Yeah."_ Cascade replied, feeling a little put out that she hadn't been able to explain it. 

"_But we weren't really talking about all that technobabble. How did I know it?"_

"_You let your mind wander," said Jack, having finally got his voice back. _"_While Cascade was talking about finding that site, your subconscious accessed the data and told you the easiest way to find it. The info was transmitted directly to your brain._

Ianto took a minute to process all of this. He had access to any information in the world. This was incredible.

"_You know,"_ he said. _"When I was little, I played a robot in a school play once. A kind of artificial intelligence. A glimpse of things to come d' ya think?"_

"_Same old Ianto_," thought Jack. "_Same old sense of humour_."

Ianto put the laptop down on the table. Suddenly he felt extremely exhausted. Jack help steady him and lead him to one of the more comfy sofas in the hub.

"_Take it easy Yan. All that for the first time took a lot out of you. You need your rest."_

Ianto nodded, too tired to argue. At that moment, a siren pierced through the silence of the hub. Jack ran to the main monitor and checked for any visual footage.

"_Another superhuman?" _asked Cascade.

Jack punched up the data. _"We haven't got visuals but there are reports of major disturbances around the City Centre." _

Gwen froze on the spot. "_Oh God!"_ she exclaimed.

"_What?"_

"_Rhys is out there. He was at the Hilton meeting a potential client. Something about a potential company merge."_

Jack sighed heavily. He couldn't bear to see Gwen like this. She was on the verge of tears.

"_Ok. Cascade, you're coming with me. Gwen, stay here with Ianto."_

"_What?"_

"_We're going in blind here Gwen! I can't leave Ianto alone. Cascade's powers might give us an advantage."_

"_But he's my husband! I need to…"_

"_Gwen, you're in no shape to take on another attack. Trust me on this. I need you to stay and recuperate."_

"_But…"_

"_No but's Gwen. I promise you we'll find Rhys."_

Gwen nodded. She felt defeated, but deep down, she knew Jack was right.

Meanwhile, Jack turned to Cascade, addressing her with a mock salute.

"_Cascade, are you willing to accept an honorary membership to Torchwood?"_

Cascade returned the salute. _"It would be a pleasure, pretty boy!"_

**Another chapter done. Please R&R.**


	9. The Blue screen of Death

Disclaimer: - I don't own Torchwood.

Chapter 8 – The Blue screen of Death

Of all the things Rhys had expected to happen in his life, this was not one of them. Granted, he did not expect his wife to be working for a secret organisation that protected Earth from alien invasion. He also did not expect to team up with said organisation to prevent alien meat trafficking or helping the police defend themselves against numerous Weevils. On top of that, he did not expect to have an unwelcome shape shifter at his wedding. Now, his current situation was another thing he could add to the list. The latest thing that he had not expected was trying to help people out of the remnants of the Hilton hotel and away from what could only be described as a twisted creature bent on total destruction.

Where was Torchwood when you needed them?

That question was going to be answered pretty shortly.

--

"_So how was Torchwood formed?"_

Jack glanced at Cascade, who had managed to cut the number of vomit bags she used to about three. He smirked inwardly. Ianto would have a fit if he knew about this. If the SUV got so much as scratched, he would pretty much label the car as being "out of bounds," and not let anyone else touch it until it was ready. The last time the car had gotten dirty, Ianto had devised an excruciating punishment … or so they had thought. In reality, he had done nothing. He admitted it later and said that the psychological value was funny enough, especially from Owen who had kept on asking Jack to taste the coffee to see if Ianto had done anything. If he died, then it was just possible that it was not safe to drink.

"_Jack!"_

"_Sorry, had my mind on other things,"_ Jack admitted. Truthfully he had not heard Cascade's question. _"So, what were you saying about… "_ he tried a random shot in the dark, "_Coffee?"_

Cascade frowned for a few seconds, but could not maintain a straight face and ended up sniggering at Jack's pathetic response. "_You weren't listening to a word were you?"_ she asked in a mock accusatory tone.

"_Of course I was!"_ Jack replied, trying to sound offended. Cascade eyed him dubiously. She wasn't buying it.

"… _or if I'm being honest, no."_

"_I asked you how Torchwood formed."_

Jack took a deep breath. "_Explaining that requires an eight hour lecture complete with diagrams, a few Q&A sessions and a couple of beers."_

"_Well, give me the short version." _Damn, she was persistent! Jack mentally prepared himself to condense 130 years of history into about fifteen minutes.

"_It all began with Queen Victoria, a werewolf and a man called the Doctor…"_

--

Gwen was upset. That much was painfully obvious. She inwardly sobbed to herself as she curled up on one of the sofas in the hub. The past few weeks had their toll on her. Tosh and 

Owens' death, Ianto's near death experience and now the possibility that Rhys might be injured or worse. She knew that her husband could look after himself but the fact she had been asked to stand down made her feel weak. She needed him. Needed to know if he was okay. There was nothing that she could do. For that moment, she felt helpless and alone.

Ianto made his way over to the sofa, carrying a tray with two large mugs of coffee and a large pack of chocolate biscuits. Before she could protest about how he should have been resting and that she should be helping him, he placed the tray on the coffee table and sat down next to Gwen.

"_Thought you could do with some cheering up,"_ he said, handing Gwen her drink. "_One thing I found out is that nothing says happiness better than the chocolately goodness only Cadbury's can provide." _He grabbed his coffee and a few biscuits. "_Don't worry Gwen, Rhys will be fine. Besides, he can add this to a C.V. Protected a space whale, led defences against weevils, almost killed a Nostrovite… the list goes on and on."_

Despite her current thoughts on the situation, she couldn't help but giggle. She was amazed that Ianto was up and about so quickly. As she was musing, she sipped her coffee. Again, her field of vision was directed back to Ianto's arm. Despite looking cumbersome and rather lethal, the mechanical implants seemed to fit on his arm comfortably. The remnants of skin looked as though it was stretched across and around the metal. It was impressive, yet unnerving at the same time. As Ianto looked in Gwen's direction, she quickly glanced away. A little too quickly.

"_Is it really that bad?" _he asked.

"_No cariad, It'll just take a bit of getting use to," _Gwen admitted.

Then there was silence. That rather awkward silence when neither person really knows what to say in order to keep the conversation going. Nothing except the occasional chirp of Myfanwy the pterodactyl. It was at this point Gwen realised that Ianto had been gone too long just to make the drinks.

"_Umm… Ianto?" _

"_Yeah?"_

"_What have you been up to? I mean, it doesn't take forty minutes to make coffee."_

Ianto got up from the sofa, a grin spreading across his face._ "Come with me,"_ he said. _"I think you will be pleasantly surprised."_

_--_

"… _and then Gwen walked in on me and Ianto. We offered her the chance to play Naked Hide and Seek, but she declined. Anyway for the record, don't listen to Ianto coos I do not cheat."_

Jack was broken out his diatribe by Cascade, who was in a fit of giggles. This part of the story had not got the reaction he had expected. She had been amazed at Jack's travels through time. She had "oozed" and "abashed" at the Weevil attacks. She had even asked at one point whether Captain John was single, earning her a very odd look from Jack. Now, she was reduced to immature giggling.

"_Is something_ _funny?"_ he asked her with a childish pout appearing on his face for the second time today.

"_Well,"_ Cascade replied between sniggers. "_It's just that some of these things your little team gets up to sound so… cheesy."_

"_Good cheesy or bad cheesy?"_

"_I thinking along the lines of sell the rights to Fox cheesy. I mean seriously, Sex Gas? Aliens that want to be worshipped as gods in Cardiff's club scene?"_

"_You forgot the Midomar,"_ Jack added in a bemused tone. His job had been described as a lot of things by a lot of people, but never "cheesy."

"_Oh yeah, tiny people who travel across radio waves_." Cascade composed herself. "_Although I suppose you do good job on the whole. I had no idea all these alien came to earth, and Cardiff of all places."_

"_The rift probably acts as a guidance system that aliens can hone into," _Jack postulated. _"Kind of like a temperospatial lighthouse."_ Not the best analogy he had ever given, but it would do. "_So how about you?"_ He asked. _"How did you get involved in all this?"_

"_My brother,"_ Cascade replied, all traces of humour absent from her face. _"He was part of this testing group at uni so he got the game before it was commercially available. He was one of the first to be affected. He told me what had happened and I supported him. It was fun at first, but then he noticed that others were becoming part of the mainframe. A sort of bond. He knew he couldn't do it alone. He asked me to help him."_

Jack listened with rapt attention. "_Then what happened?"_ he asked her.

"_He taught me everything he knew. After clearing up most of the renegades where we lived, we decided to go separate ways. I kinda kept watch on a local scale while he's travelling around the major cities. Trying to find answers. Last time I heard from him was about a week ago. He sent me this." _She fished through a small pouch in her robe and produced a computer disc. _"To be honest, I don't know whether I want to see what's on it." _

"_We can check it out later in the hub,"_ said Jack. _"What brought you to Cardiff anyway? You don't sound like a local girl."_

"_I'm from North Wales. I came here because of all the stuff that's been happening around here recently. It seems that anything strange seems to converge around London or Cardiff. I see now that it was probably due to the rift."_

"_So why Cardiff?"_

"_It's nearer."_

"_So a great deal of thought was put into this investigation."_

"_Hark who's talking, Mr. I live under a fountain in South Wales!"_

Jack childishly stuck his tongue out at his passenger. _"Out of interest, what were your brother's powers?" _

"_Too many to list, although he ended up calling himself Timehacker."_

The SUV screeched to a halt at the city centre. People were pouring out of buildings, running for their lives, trying to find some form of safety.

"_Which way do we go?"_ asked Cascade, stepping out of the vehicle.

"_Rule one of Torchwood," _Jack replied as he grabbed his gun. _"When tracking a target, always go in the opposite direction of screaming people." _

--

"_This is amazing!" _Gwen exclaimed.

"_Tell me about it," _Ianto replied. The fountain in the centre of the hub had gained a new accessory in the form of a large ice sculpture. A crystalline formation of the Torchwood logo. Underneath it were a bunch of tiny ice figurines. The Torchwood team rendered down to the most meticulous detail. The main thing that Gwen noticed was that these figures were in pairs, like they were couples. Tosh and Owen, Jack and Ianto and also her and Rhys. It was beautiful, although it would probably become a bit of a problem when it melted.

"_You did this? How?"_

Ianto walked over to Cascade's laptop. _"Well," _he began. _"I was resting when I heard this bleeping on the computer. I checked it and it was someone on that game challenging me to a battle. I thought it was worth a go to see what all the hype was about so I accepted the challenge. _

"_And?"_

"_I won. Suddenly I felt refreshed and I got this window popping up saying that I had gained experience. I tried a few more battles and as I progressed I felt physically stronger. It felt so much easier to understand."_

"_Well that explains why you're up and about, but what about the sculptures?"_

"_I'm getting to that Gwen. Anyway, after a few battles, someone challenges me to a power battle. I won and another window pops up saying that I gained that person's power."_

"_Which was…"_

"_Exactly! Cryokinesis, the psionic ability to reduce the kinetic energy of atoms, thereby causing objects to cool or freeze. I can now generate ice and freeze things__._"

Gwen was amazed at this revelation. _"I'm guessing that all this has been a_ practice," she said, motioning towards the sculpture.

"_Yes, and I thought it was something that we could all enjoy."_

"_You could give Cascade a run for her money." _Gwen replied. She then noticed that Ianto had a rather mischievous smirk on his face. _"Umm… Ianto? What do you think of Cascade?"_

"_Well it's not everyday you meet a real sorceress, and a cute one at that."_

"_Ianto?"_

"_What? Just because I'm with Jack doesn't mean I can't have a flirty moment as well."_

"_I suppose so,"_ Gwen found herself saying.

"_Although…" _Ianto continued, "_If they don't stop flirting with each other, I think I can put this power to good use."_

Any further elaboration was interrupted by the alarm. Gwen ran to the computer monitors to see what the fuss was about.

"_We've got visual!" _she exclaimed. _"Oh my God, that looks disgusting."_

"_Disgusting and strangely familiar,"_ Ianto exclaimed as he viewed the footage.

"_We need to help them," _Gwen said, half expecting some kind of refusal from Ianto.

"_I agree, but they've taken the car."_

"_We'll get a taxi."_

"_No, it'll take too long."_

Both pairs of eyes glanced around the hub and landed on the same target.

"_Oh no! No! No! No! Ianto, I'm all for helping, but this is insane!"_

Ianto gave another mischievous grin. _"Gwen, it's perfect! Fast, powerful, and let's face it. Myfanwy needs the exercise!"_

**Another chapter done. I admit that not much happened, but it all builds up for the next chapter.**

**Please R&R.**

**bbmcowgirl - Happy to see you're still following the story. Stay tuned for more.**

**Rai Guyver – Hi there. Always happy to meet a new fan. Glad to my ramblings can entertain people ******** Hope you enjoy it.**

**kitkat11- Hi there, hope you're liking the story so far.**


	10. 0111011010101

Disclaimer: - I don't own Torchwood

Chapter 9 – 0111011010101

Cascade was really getting into the swing of things. After navigating herself through the crowds of fleeing people, she checked the scanner that Jack had given her. Still negative. It would have been a bit more helpful if she knew what she was looking for. She glanced towards Jack who was consulting his own scanner.

"_Jack?" _she asked. _"Any idea what we're looking out for?"_

"_Not really," _Jack replied as he clipped the scanner to his belt and readied his gun. _"We didn't have visuals at the hub. Best to expect the unexpected."_

"_And what about Gwen's husband? D'ya think he'll be okay?"_

"_I don't know, we rarely see eye to eye, but I'm sure he can take care of himself and…"_

Jack trailed off as they turned the corner and saw the source of the destruction. On first appearances, the being looked remarkably strange. Similar to a large worm, although its physiology could never be considered natural by any stretch of the imagination. Three arachnid style legs supporting what looked like a bulky blood red armoured carapace. The creature's two arms resembled a lobster's pincers, encrusted with carbuncles. Where its face should have been were multiple dull grey eyes and mandibles dripping with a foul smelling slime. Scattered around were its unfortunate victims.

Lifeless.

Their faces twisted with fear.

"_What the hell is that thing?"_ Cascade asked.

Jack readied his gun. "_I don't know, but the only way I'm letting it leave is as fish bait!"_

Jack took aim and fired. Two bullets screeched through the air for their intended target and ricocheted harmlessly off the monster's hide. The grotesque creature turned itself to face its attacker and gave what could have been construed as laughing.

"_My power is infinite. Your lives however, are not!" _it bellowed in a snarling tone.

"_I beg to differ!" _Jack retaliated, firing another four shots. The worm like creature lifted one claw and idly batted the bullets away. Its other claw came crashing down, impacting around the patch of road where Jack and Cascade had been a few seconds ago. The two people in question ducked behind a large pile of debris.

Jack quickly emptied the bullets out of his gun. "_Cas, keep watch while I reload_," he whispered.

Cascade slowly crept out of the debris and looked around. _"It's gone," _she murmured.

"_What?"_

"_It's gone, it's just disappeared."_

"_How can you lose a twelve foot worm thing with a bad temper?"_

"_I don't know but you can come out of there."_

Jack readied his gun again and emerged from the wreckage.

"_Jack!"_ Cascade hissed. _"If shooting it didn't work the first time, why would it work the second time?"_

Jack shrugged his shoulders. _"It's got no qualms about killing us, I just feel comfortable that I've got something to defend myself with. Besides, nothing ventured…"_

"_Nothing gained!" _Jack and Cascade looked back towards the source of the voice.

A young man stood behind them, clad in shimmering silver robes resembling liquid metal. He also wore black boots and gauntlets, adorned with what appeared to be human bones. Despite this, the most disturbing thing about his appearance was his face. His pale skin looked like it was a size too small for his body. It stretched across his skull, contorting his facial features into a permanent leer, revealing multiple rows of sharp fangs. Then there was the eyes.

The dull grey eyes.

Jack had seen this sight enough today, but it was still so disturbing.

"_I assume it was you two who were responsible for the fall of my comrades earlier today." _The voice was cool and intelligent with a hint of arrogance.

"_Yeah, it's kinda a hobby of mine_." Jack retorted.

"_I wouldn't get too complacent_," the figure snarled. "_Flamethrower is a hot headed amateur and Madame Espa is mentally unstable. She was walking a very thin line between good and evil for so long. The carnage earlier pushed her over the edge." _

"_ALL AMY EVER WANTED WAS TO FIT IN!" C_ascade screamed. "_WHAT THE FUCK HAVE YOU DONE TO HER?_"

"_Methinks I have struck a nerve," _the figure smirked. "_My dear water nymph, I merely introduced her to the awesome powers the Mainframe provides. What happened afterwards was her own doing."_

"_Who are you?" _demanded Cascade in a murderous tone.

"_You can call me Daemos, the Sol killer and a loyal emissary of the Mainframe."_

"_With the ability to morph into a giant worm on legs. I highly doubt that makes you very popular with the ladies," _Jack taunted.

"_The forms I change into are designed for their efficiency, not their aesthetic value," _Daemos hissed. "_Not that I would waste them on you. I have… other methods to dispose of you."_

"_I'd like to see you try," _said Cascade as she assumed a fighters stance. _"We outnumber you two to one!"_

"_Well now,"_ Daemos replied with an ever increasing degree of conceit. "_That's hardly fair."_

Jack and Cascade shielded their eyes as Daemos was engulfed in a silvery mist. As the mist subsided, another Daemos appeared from out of the haze.

"_Two's company," _the first Daemos said.

"_Three's a crowd," _ his doppelganger continued.

"_Four's just a waste of space_," they finished in unison.

"_Okay, change of plan,_" Jack whispered. "_We split up. I'll go and find Rhys, you try and take out at least one of them. You've got a better chance of stopping them. Good luck."_

"_Be careful," _Cascade replied, giving a mock salute.

"_I'm always careful!" _Jack retorted as he ran back down the street. If Rhys was dead, Gwen would never forgive him.

As he rushed away, the two shape shifters nodded to each other. The one on the left followed in hot pursuit.

"_Where did she say he was?" _he thought to himself. _"Oh yeah, something about the Hilton," _he remembered as he came across his goal. "…_or what's left of it!"_

The hotel had been totalled.

Jack could not believe that one individual could wreak so much carnage. Actually, he could believe that, it was the fact that Daemos was not being driven by any particular purpose. Destroying for the sake of destroying. He made his way towards the debris.

"_Rhys?" _he shouted in a futile attempt to track him down. "_Dammit Rhys, where are you?"_

No reply.

"_Rhys?"_

A faint moan emanated from a nearby pile of rubble. Jack rushed over and started scrabbling at the stone fragments. After about ten minutes of burrowing through the debris, he came across an arm. It was still moving.

"_Rhys? Is that you?"_

"_Uhhhh… who's that? Is that you Jack?" _came a muffled voice from the rubble

"_In the flesh." _ Jack replied as he pulled away one of the larger rocks. Rhys' face came into view. Jack flashed him one of his trademark smiles. _"Not the best hiding place y'know. Easy to get in but a bit more difficult to get out." _He offered his hand to pull Rhys out of the wreckage.

"_Gwen!" _spluttered Rhys. _"Where's Gwen?"_

"_Don't worry about Gwen, she's back at the hub. She's safe."_

"_What the hell happened here? One minute I'm meeting with a business client, the next I'm helping people escape from some giant worm thing. More of your aliens?"_

"_Not really,"_ Jack admitted. _"Just someone with a very vivid imagination. He can shape shift, he can create clones of himself…"_

A piercing shriek filled the air. An acoustic wave of sound that cut through the air like a sharp knife. Jack and Rhys clasped their hands over their ears and tried to keep focus. It was Jack that noticed Daemos on the other side of the street, screaming like a banshee.

"… _and he can scream very, very loud." _Finished Jack.

"_I told you I had other ways to dispose of you." _Daemos said with a smug sense of satisfaction.

"_Who's that?" _asked Rhys.

"_He's a clone," _Jack replied.

"_How can you tell?"_

"_Oh, a couple of things. Reduced iris contraction, slightly higher bone density then the original. He might as well wear a t- shirt saying "Yes I am a clone, thank you for asking." It's just the little things, but it all adds up."_

"_Jealous?"_ the Daemos clone asked.

" _Of what? You can turn into a worm, you can scream, and what kind of name is Daemos? The Scarlet Whimpernel sounds more fitting for you."_

That did it! Daemos lunged towards Jack, intending to land an excruciating blow to his face.

It never came.

Instead, Daemos stopped in his tracks and screamed. This time, it was not a scream of attack. It was more like a death rattle. The clone slumped lifelessly to the ground.

Jack rushed over to the body, trying to locate a pulse.

"_It's dead!" _called over to Rhys_._

"_How?" _Rhys asked_. "You didn't do anything."_

"_The original's conscious thought has been immobilised. Without that symbiotic link, there was no way to maintain the copy." _At that moment a miniature walkie talkie attached to his belt began to emit static.

"_Jack. Come in Jack, over."_

"_This is Jack, over."_

"_Jack? Cascade here, Daemos has been incapacitated, over."_

"_Nice work, over."_

"_It wasn't me. Get over here, there's a couple of people you need to see. Over and out!"_

_--_

Cascade hoped that Jack was faring better then she was. Daemos was not someone to be taken lightly. She charged her energy and fired a highly pressurised ball of water at her foe. The water passed harmlessly through Daemos and impacted across the wall behind him.

"_Psionic phasing,"_ he sneered. _"Pity I had to waste it on a human water pistol."_

"_Why not crawl underground like the worm that you are?" _Cascade retorted_._

"_Oh please, that was your best taunt? Pathetic!" _goaded Daemos. _"Then again, so was Madame Espa, although I got some pretty useful info out of her mind today before you and "Captain America" stunned her."_

"_What did Amy ever do to you?" _yelled Cascade.

"_Nothing really, it was just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. She kept it hidden well. Didn't seem to trust anyone enough to confide about her new powers… not even you."_

"_Shut up," _hissed Cascade.

"_A pathetic little brat with an inferiority complex. However, I should be grateful. Without her, I would never have found out about Torchwood."_

"_SHUT THE FUCK UP!"_

"_Torchwood," _Daemos mused. _"A futile pocket of resistance, and you joined them. Can four insignificant little insects pose so much of a threat?"_

He never got time to contemplate an answer. Cascade had lured him into a trap that nearly all super villains fall for.

He was too busy with his monologue to notice what Cascade was doing. By the time he realised, Cascade had delivered an uppercut to his jaw, knocking him across the road.

"_Oldest trick in the book," _she thought to herself.

Daemos jumped back to his feet, his grey eyes glowing with rage. He charged at the water mage with reckless abandon. The next few minutes consisted of a furious fist fight. Punch after punch. Parry after parry. It was clear that both sides were evenly matched. Eventually, Cascade gained the upper hand by punching Daemos in the ribs, causing him to recoil in pain.

"_Must… change…" _he wheezed to himself. _"Too… weak… must… change…"_

Daemos' body started to fold in on itself. His right arm was replaced with a familiar looking claw. His ribcage cracked open revealing a misshapen heart and set of lungs, coated in glistening mucous membranes. Numerous spindly arachnid legs appeared, covered in blood and slime. It was obvious that he had tried to change, but it had only half worked. He had been too worn out from the fight to complete the transition. Daemos from the shoulder upwards. Hideous mutated slimy gore below. 

Cascade tried firing water blasts at the creature, but it easy evaded them, scuttling quickly towards her. The thing that had been Daemos grabbed her with his claw and grinned psychotically.

"_Function, not aesthetics,"_ he reminded her. Crushing her windpipe with his claw.

Cascade was starting to black out. She was also hoping that the last thing she saw before she died was not this… thing! Next thing she knew, she was falling back to the ground. As she struggled to get her breath back, she saw Daemos, clutching his claw in agony. She also noticed something that looked like some kind of spear.

A spear of solid ice.

"_INCOMING!"_

She glanced up in the sky. The sight she saw made her begin to question her sanity.

Help had arrived in the form of Ianto Jones, Gwen Cooper and what appeared to be a large pterodactyl!

**Another chapter done, please R&R. Thanx.**

**bbmcowgirl – Don't worry, I haven't given up on it. My updates tend to be a bit erratic. I do intend on finishing it, so you've got plenty to look forward to ********.**

**Rose Tyler – Good for you. I'm glad you're enjoying it. There's still plenty left. I don't know when I'll finish it, but I've definitely got no intentions of leaving it to gather dust. :-p**


	11. System login

I'M NOT DEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That being said…

Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood.

Chapter 10 – System login 

It had seemed like a good idea at the time. After all, Jack and Cascade had taken the SUV. With the prospect of a taxi taking far too long, this had been the best alternative. Granted, there were a few minor flaws with the plan. Gwen had been particularly vocal about this, especially pertaining to the fact that the fully grown pteranodon may not be too happy about giving them a lift. Luckily, Ianto managed to win Myfanwy over with a large slab of dark chocolate to sweeten the deal. Within minutes, they were gliding through the air. Gwen clutching Myfanwy's neck and Ianto suspended by her talons.

"Ianto Jones, you are bonkers!" yelled Gwen as she grabbed tightly onto the reptile's neck.

"C'mon Gwen!" Ianto shouted from underneath. "Where's your sense of adventure?"

"Back on the ground!" Gwen retorted. "How you talked me into this, I'll never know."

"I have a gift for that sort of thing," sniggered the Welshman. He would never admit this to anyone, but he had always wondered whether Myfanwy would be capable of supporting an adult human for long periods of time. Granted, she had when he and Jack had attempted to capture her but that was under different circumstances. She was wild and wasn't very trusting. This had been evident when it trashed the hub and crapped on Owen's desk within moments of her arrival. Many painful hours of training later saw a great improvement, but it didn't stop Owen from referring to her as a "leather chicken."

It may have been the inner child in Ianto that wanted to find out whether Myfanwy could sustain a journey with someone riding on her. The opportunity had never cropped until now and now it had, he was loving every minute of it. The feel of the wind against his face, the sensation of being semi weightless, gliding through the air as the pteranodon gripped his shoulders. Gwen however, was not seeing it from the same perspective. As Myfanwy soared through the clouds, she clung on tighter, almost throttling the poor thing.

"Any sign of them?" she yelled, trying to take her mind off the situation.

Ianto surveyed the land below him. "Nothing yet!" he shouted back. "You would've thought it was easy to notice a giant worm thing around Cardiff."

"Have you thought of trying the scanner on your arm?" asked Gwen.

"Well… Now you mention it, that's quite an obvious approach."

"Is that why you hadn't thought of it?"

"Very funny," replied Ianto sarcastically as he checked his arm. He had completely forgotten about the scanner. The few times he had used it, it seemed to act like it had a mind of its own. Still, it had worked before, so it was worth another try. Ianto focused his mind with the intent on locating Jack and Cascade. The scanner blinked, and the monitor spurted out reams of data.

0101011110101010 ABNORMAL BIO- READINGS DETECTED 01101011101

0010111010101010 METASONIC SIGNAL TRACED 01011010110111101010

0101101011010101 CO- ORDINATES 1675 BY 3342 01010101010101011010

"Got something," the Welshman exclaimed. "I've tracked down abnormal DNA signals, so it's probably them." He grabbed a few squares of chocolate from his pocket and held them up to the pteranadon. Myfanwy!" he shouted. "Start your descent."

The reptile uttered a choked squawk and begun to fly lower, catching the chocolate her passenger had offered and ignoring Gwen's screams. Initially, she had been annoyed at being woken up and made to carry two adult humans (One of whom was presently strangling the life out of her) across Cardiff. Was sleeping followed by the occasional hunt too much to ask? On the other hand, she could never resist the promise of chocolate.

Gliding from out of the clouds, the trio looked on in horror at the destruction below them. A few buildings stood out from the masses of rubble. People were fleeing in swarms, desperate to find some sort of sanctuary. It was then that Ianto and Gwen located their target.

"Worm ahoy!" shouted Ianto.

"It's even uglier up close," Gwen stated. "Okay, we've found it, but what are we going to do now?

"Well…" the tea boy mused as he looked up. "I thought that we could…" His strategy was derailed as he looked towards where the creature had been. "It's gone!"

"What?"

"I said it's gone."

"Ianto, it's a giant worm. That isn't something that you can misplace easily."

"I'm telling you, it's gone!" Ianto protested. He checked his scanner. "Bio – readings are still present. It's gotta be here somewhere."

Gwen had finally plucked up the courage to open her eyes. Ianto was right. There was definitely an absence of a large worm lobster hybrid. Not that that was a bad thing. As she glanced around, something caught her eye in an abandoned street.

Water.

Large jets of water, yet the bursts were too sporadic, too random to be anything like a burst water pipe.

"Ianto!" Gwen called. "To your right"

Ianto complied with the order and saw the blasts of water coming from the empty street.

"I think we know where our "invisible worm" has gone."

"Good work Gwen." Ianto grabbed another few squares of chocolate and threw them up to the pteranodon's beak. "Okay Myfanwy, do your stuff!"

Myfanwy swallowed the chocolate and gracefully swerved in the right direction. Getting closer to their target, they were able to confirm their suspicion. It was definitely Cascade. What they hadn't bargained on was the misshapen spindle legged blob trying to strangle the life out her.

"What are we going to do?" asked Gwen anxiously.

"I'll distract it and you immobilise it with a stun gun."

"Ianto, that's easier said than done." Gwen was impressed by her friends newly found ingenuity, but this seemed a bit reckless for him. "How are you planning to distract it? If the next words out of your mouth are "live bait," then forget it!"

"No need for melodramatics Gwen. I'm taking a more long range approach. It's like I just know what to do. I can't explain it."

Gwen considered this carefully. "Do what you have to do. I'll keep you covered."

"That's the spirit Gwen." Ianto looked at his right arm. The components started to rearrange themselves until a lethal looking cannon was protruding from his arm. He checked the scanner and readied his shot. Just a bit closer. The scanner continued to zoom in until it locked onto the claw.

"Fire!" he shouted.

A spear of solid ice discharged from the cannon. It soared towards its target and struck the creature directly on its claw. The creature roared in agony, clutching the appendage.

Bullseye!

Cascade fell to the ground. As she got her bearings back, she noticed the spear. Then she looked up at the sky.

"INCOMING."

Myfanwy speeded up her descent, allowing time for her passengers to disembark. Ianto readjusted his tie and turned to Cascade.

"Ptera airways, you can't beat it," he quipped.

"Speak for yourself!" Gwen retorted, glad to be back on the ground. "Next time, we're taking a taxi!

Any further conversation was interrupted by a loud guttural roar. The creature was currently trying to claw Myfanwy to pieces. Dodging his attacks, the pteranodon attempted to peck out the thing's left eye.

"What is that thing?" Gwen asked.

"He's called Daemos," Cascade replied, deciding to leave the whole "happy reunion" for later. "Another servant of the Mainframe. He's a shape shifter, but it went a bit wrong."

"No kidding," Ianto stated. The creature looked like a cross between a worm, lobster and person sewn together. It also looked like someone had thrown a bucket of mucus at it.

"I think Myfanwy needs our help. Gwen, remember our plan?"

"If you can call it a plan," Gwen retorted.

"Get the stun gun on standby," Ianto continued, ignoring the comment. His cannon on his began to discharge ice until it took the form of a sharp deadly blade. Ianto was suitably impressed.

"Wish me luck," he said as he charged towards the monster. Cascade and Gwen stood speechless.

"Jack told you to stay behind" the water mage said.

"Jack says a lot of things," Gwen replied as she charged her stun gun. "Many of which are open to debate."

"Gwen!" shouted Ianto in the distance.

"Duty calls," Gwen said as she moved to a defensive position.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Daemos was at the end of his tether. He had no idea how this form he had assumed was even capable of functioning properly, especially as most of his internal organs had folded inside out and were leaking revolting goo all over the place. He had also not taken the presence of an extinct reptile and a complete stranger attempting to immobilise him. He roared in pain as the pteranodon nipped a chunk of what was his right shoulder.

"Don't do that Myfanwy!" the stranger had shouted. "You're gonna spoil your appetite."

Daemos swung the remnants of his claw, shattering the man's ice blade. The smirk on the stranger's face didn't falter. Daemos was slightly confused by this. He had destroyed this person's main weapon and yet he still smiling arrogantly. Daemos had every intention of wiping that smug grin of this stranger's face.

"Any last requests?" he growled.

"Well…" the stranger replied in mock contemplation. "You could squirm around like you're electrocuted, scream pathetically and fall to the ground. That would be great!"

That was the distraction he needed. A few hundred thousand volts later, Daemos had fulfilled the stranger's criteria and slumped to the ground. As he lay there, his body began to fold in on itself. Restructuring itself until it resembled a humanoid form. Not much of an improvement but it better than the gory blob he had been before.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ianto surveyed the unconscious form of Daemos. After congratulating Gwen on her timing, he turned around to a very confused Cascade.

"You… He… You…" spluttered the water mage. Her near death experience had robbed her of the ability to form a sentence with any sense of structure.

"We hitched a ride and came to help." Ianto surmised. "Gwen wanted to take a taxi."

"I know, I heard," replied Cascade as she began to grasp the proper usage of the English language again. "Do you know how reckless that was? You could've been killed! You could've over exhausted your powers! You would've been defenceless!"

"Okay Cascade, breathe slowly," said Gwen in a mock patronising tone. "One of the rules of Torchwood. Danger comes with the job description. That and the best coffee this side of Wales."

Cascade grabbed the walkie talkie that was clipped to her robe, checking it to see if it was still working. "Jack went to find your husband," she explained. "With any luck, they'll be alright." She tried to ignore the fact that she had overemphasised the word "luck."

"_Jack. Come in Jack, over."_

"_This is Jack, over."_

"_Jack? Cascade here, Daemos has been incapacitated, over."_

"_Nice work, over."_

"_It wasn't me. Get over here, there's a couple of people you need to see. Over and out!"_

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jack was dashing through the derelict streets with Rhys following closely behind him. As he followed the co ordinates on his wrist strap, he wondered to himself who these were that Cascade needed him to see so badly. The only two people that really sprung to mind were… No, that's impossible. They were back at the hub.

Weren't they?

Turning round the corner, the sight he saw proved him wrong.

Cascade, Ianto, Gwen and Myfanwy standing around an unconscious Daemos, the latter of whom was being prodded at by the pteranodon's beak. As the quartet turned to face him, Jack was speechless.

"You… He… You… Yan…" he spluttered.

"We seem to be having this effect on a lot of people today, aren't we Gwen?" Ianto asked.

Gwen never got the chance to reply. At that moment, Jack and Rhys dashed across and pulled their respective partners into a hug. Tears were shed, numerous clichés were uttered such as "I thought I'd never see you again," and "I wouldn't have been able to go on living." After a while, Cascade broke up the reunion with the important question, "What are we going to do now."

"Get everyone back to the hub," Jack replied.

"Everyone?" asked Rhys?

"We've got a pterodactyl…"

"Pteranodon," corrected Ianto.

"Whatever, out in the open so that's one reason. The second, you've gotta be briefed. I can't exactly send you home and ask you to forget about it. Well… I can, but Gwen would never forgive me. Finally, we've got a couple of things that might help us find out what we're dealing with."

"What things?" Ianto asked.

"An info disk from Cascade's brother, and worm boy here."

**Next chapter, Good cop/time agent/ mage/ tea boy, Bad cop/time agent/ mage/ tea boy/ Weevil (delete as applicable)**

**Please R&R**

**Mereret – Glad to see a new fan. Sorry that my style of italics was difficult to understand. Personally, I find it easier but I think I'm in the minority (lol). V. creepy video game indeed. ******

**bbmcowgirl – Nice to hear from you again. Uni work got on top of me so I had to take a bit of a break. Ah well, with the Xmas hols and no exams, I can do a bit more on this now. Yay!**


	12. All your base are belong to us!

Disclaimer: - I don't own Torchwood.

Chapter 11- "All your bases have belong to us!"

"Master!"

"**010101110 State your function! 01010101010"**

"Daemos has been incapacitated."

"**0101110110 Elaborate! 101010101011"**

"Your plan to flush out those who may have opposed us earlier was successful… to an extent. Daemos came up against opposition, but was defeated in the process. His whereabouts are unknown."

"**010110 Information processed. Logical hypothesis implies that subject Daemos is still in the Cardiff area. 010101101"**

"Can you track him master?"

"**1101000101 Subject query, Negative. Metagenic signal untraceable… you have been conditioned, have you not? 011010110"**

"Yes master."

"**0110101101 What are your powers? 010101011" **

"You don't remember? I don't actually have powers. I was just made compatible with all abilities, but I fail to see…"

"**011010111 Memory recovered. You are subject ΨΦΘΣ. Codename Tabula Rasa. Function, to induce any and all abilities when required. 01011101 Processing. 01110101 Strategy implemented. Grant access to subject ΨΦΘΣ. Access all psychic/ technopathic based abilities. 10001010101"**

"Master?"

"**101010101 Activate induction signal and focus telepathic frequency Delta 47. Locate and keep mental surveillance of subject Daemos. Inform me of developments. 00101" **

"Yes master. Just one thing, I read that file on the Adiposian crisis. The Shadow Proclamation would not stand for this. If things get out of control…"

"**010101110 Statement processed. Probability of such outcome is 2****214**** to 1 against. Subject irrelevant. 01010101"**

"Why do it at all?"

"**11010111010 The war commands it! 0110101101"**

"**11010111010 The war commands it! 0110101101"**

"**11010111010 The war commands it! 0110101101"**

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Daemos groaned as he slowly regained consciousness. He squinted into the darkness as his eyes tried to adapt to the unfamiliar surroundings. A dinghy grey room with a bare light bulb providing the minimum of light. From what he could ascertain, the room was fairly spartan. A table, a chair and very little else. The shapeshifter was broke out of his thoughts when the realisation dawned that he couldn't move his arms. In fact, he couldn't move anything below his neck. As his sight slowly improved, the reason became clear to him.

He had been chained to the wall!

The bastards had actually tied him up and chained him to one of the walls!

Daemos squirmed and wriggled about in an attempt to break free. It was no good. The chains were too strong and he was far too weak from the battle. No! He couldn't think like that! He couldn't just give up! He hadn't become one of the strongest players on Superheroes Inc. by just giving up. The Mainframe had granted him extraordinary powers. Without them, he would just be Damien Boyd again. A pathetic excuse of a person if ever there was one. He made his choice when he played the game. He had no regrets. When the time came, he would be heralded in the war along with the other like minded renegades. All he had to do was bide his time.

As he struggled to free himself from his chains, the rusty door to the room swung open. As Daemos swung his head around to see what had happened, somebody entered the room. Fairly tall, dressed in 1940's clothing and a blue RAF greatcoat. Daemos also noted that he was carrying an antique Webley and had a look on his face that was totally devoid of sympathy. This was the guy who was with the water mage earlier. This made his defeat all the more humiliating. The sol killer beaten by a rag tag team of humans. The man in the coat stood in front of him and pretended to clean the gun he was holding.

"Damien Boyd!" he said as if it explained everything.

"What?"

"Born 18th of July in 1983, Attended Bristol University, suspended for assaulting another student. No fixed employment, moved to Cardiff in 2005. Records show arrests for D&D, shoplifting and further assault. You have been busy haven't you?"

"Am I supposed to be impressed?" asked Daemos sarcastically.

"Although the records seem to omit shapeshifting, phasing, duplication and sonic screaming from your repertoire," continued the man, ignoring Daemos' snide comment. "You would've thought that if ya had a criminal record, the police would be a bit more thorough. By the way, don't bother trying to use your powers to escape. I took the liberty of immobilising you. Localised Paralysis Toxin," he explained, taking pleasure in Daemos' frustration.

"Who the hell are you?" shouted Daemos, getting increasingly annoyed. In one fluid movement, the man punched the wall, about an inch away from the side of Daemos' head. As he pulled his hand back. Daemos arched his neck to see what had happened. The wall felt like reinforced concrete and yet the man in front of him had cracked the foundation with his punch. It wasn't the only thing he cracked. Daemos saw that the man's right hand was a bloody mess. Three of his fingers looked broken, his knuckles were protruding from his skin and blood was squirting out of a painful gash on his palm. Despite this, the man did not flinch. He held his bleeding hand up, which seemed to be healing at a phenomenal rate and gave a maniacal grin.

"I'm Captain Jack Harkness," he snarled "That's all you need to know. I, on the other hand need a fair bit of info from you so you are going to answer all my questions. We can do this the easy way…" He then pointed the gun he was holding in his left hand towards Daemos' temple "… or the hard way."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ianto retained a neutral expression as he watched the interrogation from the room above. Cascade gave a shocked gasp and while Gwen and Rhys did not give any audible signs, they were both visibly confused and disgusted with the scene that unfurled before them. Rhys had been brought up to speed on everything and had taken it surprisingly well. Then again, when you accept that aliens exist, almost anything is possible. Ianto had wondered why the families of Torchwood members weren't allowed to know the truth. Who would listen? Only problem was that was the mentality of the past. The battle of Canary Wharf had brought forth a generation of humans aware of aliens. Then again, Torchwood Three didn't have the stigma of Torchwood One. Maybe they should consider recruiting…

He snapped out of his thoughts as they saw Jack punch the wall.

"What was that in aid of?" asked Rhys.

"Scare tactics," Ianto replied. "Sometimes does it with suspects that get a bit too sarcastic. Ones that are all mouth and no trousers." Despite the reality of it all, he still tried to inject a bit of humour into the situation.

"I've seen him like this before but I'll never get use to it" Gwen murmured.

"Not as bad as he was with Operation Goldenrod, but it's a close contender," stated Ianto, shuddering at the thoughts of those memories.

"Operation Goldenrod?" Cascade asked.

"I'll explain later. Suffice to say, Jack is pissed off. He's still beating himself up over Owen and Tosh's deaths. Daemos threatened us and it sort of triggered him off to try and protect us. In that respect, he kinda acts like a homicidal mother hen!"

Ignoring the sniggering, Ianto turned towards Cascade. "Jack said you have a brother. Is he involved in this as well?" he asked. Jack had briefly mentioned him, but only divulged his pseudonym, Timehacker.

Cascade composed herself. "He's been travelling around Britain to uncover the truth behind the game. I've got a disc with his most recent information," she replied. "We can check it out when Jack's finished with worm boy."

Ianto checked his scanner. He was starting to grow quite attached to it. Not only had it been useful, but the fact that it seemed to have its own personality intrigued him. It even had a sense of humour that matched his sardonic wit. "_Search Timehacker_," he thought.

"**0110101010 No references found. 01010110100"**

"_Check again," _he thought.

"**01010101101 Didn't work first time, not gonna work second time! 01010101" **the scanner retorted.

Oh well, it was worth a try.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jack was indeed pissed off. The last thirty minutes had not been successful. It was like talking to a brick wall. Well, technically he was. Daemos had proved to be as stubborn as a mule and had not divulged any information. At least nothing that he didn't know already. He'd mentioned the Mainframe, but refused to go into further details. Daemos had called his bluff when he had threatened to shoot him. Jack needed him alive. It was obvious that they needed to bring out the secret weapon. He entered the room overlooking the interrogation chamber. As he entered the room, four pairs of eyes directed their attention towards him.

"Any luck?" asked Gwen.

"Nothing, We'd have had more luck if we interrogated Flamethrower." Jack replied, remembering the pyromancer's lack of eloquence.

"Didn't he give anything away?" asked Cascade.

"Nothing we didn't know already. He's not going to tell us anything willingly."

"Hang on," Ianto said, "I've had a thought. Remember Madame Espa?"

"I trying to forget!" retorted Gwen.

"She seemed a bit disorientated when I was trying to comfort her. Before she transformed, she wasn't aware of her alter ego." Ianto turned to Cascade. "Did Amy ever mention any of this to you?"

Cascade looked a bit uncomfortable. "No, she wouldn't say anything. She had mentioned hearing voices, like somebody whispering to her, but I supposed she didn't want to elaborate in case I thought she was going mad. Why?"

Ianto thought carefully about this. "It seems that the people affected aren't initially aware of their alter egos. They refer to the original person as a separate entity. They also seem to partially revert to normal when they are unconscious."

"Why hasn't it happened with you or Cascade then?" Gwen interrupted. "Not that I want it to happen, but it might be a problem if you develop retrograde amnesia every time you go to sleep. "

"Ianto and I don't have a fictional biography on our profiles," Cascade explained. "I changed my name, but left the rest blank. We kept our personalities and on top of that, our minds mustn't need to accommodate new memories."

"So how does this help us?" asked Rhys.

"We could try and extract the memories subconsciously…" Ianto started.

"… and try and found out what the Mainframe is and what its purpose is," finished Jack. "The mind probe!"

"Oh no, not the mind probe again," Gwen protested, recollecting the sleeper agents. "You said it yourself Jack, he's not going to willingly let you use it on him!"

"We'll just have to convince him," replied Jack.

The Torchwood trio simultaneously arrived at the same conclusion.

"Janet!"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The door to the interrogation room opened with a rusty creak. If it was possible, Daemos would have shielded his eyes. Somebody walked into the room. It wasn't that Harkness person. It was a woman. Gwyneth? No… Gwen! Harkness had mentioned him during his interrogation. Jet black hair, a slender figure and look on her face that tried to broadcast the fact that she meant business but there was a hint of apprehension.

"Let me guess…" he drawled. "I've had the bad cop, now you're gonna be the good cop."

"Shut up!" replied Gwen.

"Feisty, aren't you?" Daemos retorted. He'd hit a nerve. "I'm guessing the bondage was your idea." He moved his neck to indicate the rope and chains.

"Ugh, no wonder you turn into a worm," Gwen countered. "Anyway, you almost killed my husband back there, along with my friends as well. In fact, you're never going to get on my good side!"

"Get to the point before I break out of these chains and knock you on your _backside_!" snarled Daemos.

Gwen scowled. "We need information," she stated curtly.

"As I said to Captain Camp a while ago, my secrets follow me to the grave!"

A smirk appeared on Gwen's face. "Is that your final answer?" she asked in a sugary sweet tone.

Slightly thrown by this change in attitude, Daemos nodded.

"I hoped you'd say that," Gwen turned to the door. "JACK? IANTO? BRING HER IN!" she shouted.

Snarling and growling was heard from outside the room. A moment later the door was knocked off its hinges. A figure, roughly six feet tall raced in, dragging the two aforementioned men along with it. Humanoid with sharp claws and teeth and clad in a boiler suit. What colour remained drained from Daemos' face.

"Now wormy," Jack replied as he struggled with the leash. "I'd really like to believe you know nothing, but Janet here needs a bit of convincing." The creature in question hissed and roared as if to agree with this statement.

Daemos tried to gain his composure. "How can I tell you anything if I'm dead?" he replied, feeling that he had gained the upper hand.

"You're not the only renegade here Daemos," said Ianto. "We can just find another one. One that won't waste our time." He was bluffing, but luckily the appearance of Janet seemed to be overriding the shapeshifter's sense of rationality.

"You're not going to sic that thing on me!" Daemos half yelled.

"Janet doesn't take too kindly about being called a thing," Jack replied. He let the leash slip. "Do your stuff," he yelled to the Weevil over the ravenous snarling.

One thing was running through Daemos' mind.

"_Holy Fuck!"_

This wasn't how he was supposed to be to die, if at all! He was supposed to fight gloriously against the Sol and help lead the Necrolai to victory! Not die in a squalid hell hole. He couldn't fight, he couldn't morph. He was a sitting duck! His sense of survival overrode his sense of pride. Maybe the Mainframe would forgive him.

"Okay! Okay!" he shouted. "Call it off!"

"You'll help us?" asked Jack with a sense of smug satisfaction.

Daemos scowled, but reluctantly nodded.

Ianto reached into his pocket and pulled out a familiar object as Jack grabbed the leash and sprayed Janet with a canister of anti Weevil spray. " One hour, twenty eight minutes, thirty two seconds. A new record!"

" What did I tell ya? Just another big shot wannabe." He gave a quizzical look towards Ianto. "You timed the interrogation?"

"One of the many things I can do with a stopwatch," replied Ianto.

Daemos observed the badinage between the trio and cursed himself for giving in. Little did he know that his actions would accelerate the Mainframe's stratagem.

**Another chapter complete. Please R&R.**

Rai Guyver:- Thanx for the review. I'm quite flattered :-) Well I've come this far and I'm not gonna quit. Stay tuned for more. Hopefully quicker than last time.

Lone-star-woman – Hi there. Sometimes you can come across some really good stuff by chance. I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. Still got a bit to go. Just hope I don't disappoint. ;-)


	13. Operation Aborted

Disclaimer: - I don't own Torchwood

Also, I am really, really (inserted how many extra really's that you think this needs to make it sound grovelling enough) sorry about how late this is. Uni work got on top of me, then I graduated (yay) and then being the glutton for punishment that I am, I went back to do another degree. Like I said though, I have no intention of abandoning this so enjoy the chapter.

Chapter 12 – Operation Aborted

The mind probe always seemed to get results. Granted, it looked like a colander attached to a couple of crocodile clips, and there was that time when scanning the brain of a rather unfortunate Khellian rebel caused its head to explode. Despite this, the mind probe got results, albeit rather messy ones. Ianto and Cascade began setting up the components of the machine whilst Gwen checked CCTV footage around Cardiff to ensure no other renegades were out making their mark. After about ten minutes of observation, she felt a hand on her shoulder. As she turned around, she saw Rhys with a weak smile on his face.

"Thought I'd keep you company," he said as he pulled up a seat next to her. "There was a few things I was planning on doing today and I've gotta say, this wasn't one of them."

A ghost of a smile appeared on Gwen's face.

"Lucky that Jack the lad found me," Rhys half-mused to himself. "The prospect of being bait for a giant worm isn't high on my list."

Amidst giggling, Gwen pulled her husband into a passionate embrace. It was possible that the whole world would soon be under attack from genetically enhanced superbeings and here he was, rambling about sofas! Her love for him was undeniable. As they sat there, locked in each other's arms, Gwen tried to forget the fact that Rhys had very nearly died today. Her job was saving the world, but Rhys was her world.

"I love you," she whispered affectionately into his ear. "You big idiot."

"OI! Lovebirds!" The not so subtle sound of Ianto's voice reverberated through the hub. "We're prepped and ready to go."

As the couple made their way over, Ianto started running the final upload sequences for the mind probe. Cascade frowned at the state of the apparatus.

"Ianto?" she asked. "Is this thing really gonna work? I mean, it's not exactly high-tech."

"We do what we can with what we've got," stated Ianto. "When I first started working here, we had this hologram simulator. Suzie and Tosh cobbled it together by welding a Vorajan projection unit to a toaster… Don't knock it! It worked really well," Ianto continued over the water mage's snickering. "Jack started using it for early morning training. Target practice and free toast."

"What happened to it?" asked Cascade, amidst giggling.

"I accidentally shot the projector one morning, the holographic matrices welded its properties to the heating grill of the toaster and I got attacked by my own breakfast," was the reply as Jack entered the scene, leading Daemos in front of him. "I thought we said that we would never mention that incident again!"

"Weevils, Nostrovites, Brudyac, no problem," said Ianto "However, granary bread from a rabid toaster is a whole different story."

Jack pouted at the laughter at his expense and led Daemos to the seat. "Okay worm boy," he said. "Ianto will control the mental frequencies and Cascade will provide you with water at intervals. The headset will drill into your consciousness so anything hidden will surface. If you try anything funny, I'm bringing Janet back for round two."

"Fuck you!" croaked Daemos. He felt humiliated at the fact that he had been so easily conned into being mentally searched. Having all this explained to him in the same manner that a parent would tell a young child not to run around with scissors just added insult to the situation.

"I'm gonna have to turn that offer down," retorted the captain as he tightened the straps around the shape-shifter's arms. The shape-shifter was still weak but then again, a cornered animal would do anything when desperate. After fixing the headset, he gave Ianto the signal to begin.

Daemos recoiled, his body arching as though it was hit by an electric surge. As the group consulted the screen, Jack began his questioning.

"What's your name?" he asked, deciding to start with an easy question to check whether the frequency was strong enough to get a straight answer.

"Daemos! The Sol killer and emissary of the Mainframe," the incapacitated polymorph replied.

Obviously not.

"Increase the power," Jack ordered. The machine crackled and sparked as Ianto complied. Daemos convulsed and writhed as the current shot directly into his brain, overloading his frontal lobes and hypothalamus. Despite the pain, he would not scream. He refused to give them the satisfaction of seeing him scream.

"What are you? What is the mainframe?" He registered the voice of the captain but had no intention of answering his questions.

"Full Power," instructed Jack. As the probe was programmed to its highest setting, Daemos stopped convulsing and slumped forward, his eyes rolling back into his skull. Smoke began to plume out of the headset and the electrodes and the unsettling stench of charred flesh filled the room. As Ianto shut down the machine, the other three people gingerly approached the figure in the chair. Cascade grabbed Daemos' arm in attempt to locate a pulse. Upon grabbing his arm, the figure bolted upright. A vacant look occupied his face, alive but not seemingly aware of his surroundings. He opened his mouth and an unearthly noise pierced the air.

The sound of crackling high pitched wailing and distortion reverberated through the hub as the team collectively clasped their ears in a futile bid to block it out.

"What the hell is that?" shouted Rhys above the cacophony.

"Unbelievable," replied Ianto, who had his cybernetic arm stretched outwards. "He seems to be speaking in binary."

"You can understand it?" yelled Gwen as searched one of the desks for a couple of pairs of industrial grade earmuffs.

"Not really," said Ianto. "But my little friend's having no problems." The scanner embedded in his arm appeared to be working overtime as it downloaded the signal that was being emitted from Daemos. Ones and zeroes rapidly flickered across the screen as it tried to make some sense of what was being transmitted.

* * *

"**0101010110 Report. 011010100101"**

"An enormous energy signature has been detected in the Cardiff Bay region master."

"**001011 Triangulate parameters. 11010"**

"Localising. Energy signature located within Roald Dahl Plass."

"**010111011 Processing... Likelihood of Daemos' metagenic trace correlating with energy signature is 98.22134%. 01111000 Lock trace and intensify mental surveillance. 0111001"**

"Understood master."

* * *

Sparks surged from the main console as Daemos continued transmitting. Gwen and Jack were tapping frantically at different keypads to try and siphon the power surge whilst Cascade and Rhys tried to restrain the shape-shifter as he convulsed and writhed as if he were possessed. The drama reached a crescendo when the surge blew the main power pack for the mind probe, spraying jets of flame across the room. Whilst Cascade extinguished the fires, Gwen and Rhys began ripping the straps off of Daemos. Physically, the shape-shifter would survive, although emotional damage would be an entirely different story.

"What the hell was all that?" asked Rhys as he undid the final strap.

"Defence mechanism," Jack replied with a serious look on his face. "Saw it a few times on Obsoletion Valley. Information downloaded into agent's mind. Agent gets captured by terrorists, interrogated, threatened, the whole shebang! The agent then gives them exactly what they want. They give them the information in the form of a hypersonic organo-digital projection. Something, that if listened to long enough would destroy your hearing and is unable to be recorded by conventional means. It's supposed to be an ironic middle finger. Giving your enemies the info, but they can't do anything with it."

"Judging from where you've heard about it, I'm guessing it's obsolete?" Rhys made a guess that one part instinct, two parts common sense and the rest as a thought, telling himself that his expertise was haulage systems, not aliens and that he should have just smiled and nodded.

"Give the guy a cigar," smirked Jack. "Since organo-digital transfer is commonplace from the 32nd century onwards, this technology ended up on the scrapheap. It's still used on planets that don't have ODT. "

"Like here," finished Cascade.

"Yeah, so you'd need someone with ODT or some other alien tech that could decode it."

"Cometh the hour, cometh the cyborg tea boy with semi sentient scanner in his arm," interrupted Ianto, consulting said scanner on said arm."

"Don't be smug Ianto, it doesn't suit you", Jack retorted. "Oh, who am I kidding, it suits you down to the ground. Any ideas what the signal was?"

"I'm decoding it as we speak," Ianto said as he consulted his scanner. "It's got a few word translated. Mainframe, Renegade, War, Necrolai... This doesn't sound like it's going to be anything good."

* * *

"Master!"

"**010111 Report. 01010110"**

"Energy signature has been locked. Confirmation of Daemos' metagenic trace. Location is known as Torchwood 3."

"**0101101 And the energy surge? 011010101"**

"Failsafe has been activated."

"**010101 Priority systems. Our mission will be compromised. 01101010 List locations of any and all renegades in the Cardiff region. 01101010**

"Accessing now. Flamethrower, Madame Espa, Victor Richter, Scarlet Rain, Animorph. There are at least twenty of them in range.

**0101011 Activate metagenic traces. 010101 Bring renegades to converge on Torchwood three. 000101 The mission must advance. 00111 The war demands it. 01110"**

"It shall be done master."

"**0010101 Additional. 010101"**

"Yes master?"

"**0101011 Activate termination of subject Daemos! 01010101"**

Another chapter done. Yay.


End file.
